England players reunite with families on Father's Day after Croatia win in Kansas City

Thomas Tuchel’s England squad marked Father’s Day with a family reunion in Kansas City on Friday, a day after their 4-2 victory over Croatia at the 2026 World Cup. The FA arranged a day off for the players, with wives, partners and children travelling to the team’s Prairie Village base at the Inn at Meadowbrook — and a personal touch waiting for every squad member on their return.

The FA had organised individual boxes for each player containing cards, photos and video messages from their families. Tottenham defender Djed Spence described the moment the squad discovered them. “When we came in, there was a little box of messages from our families,” he said. “The FA had organised it so the messages were there for us. I did not shed a tear when we got them but I have before.”

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was reunited with his wife Megan and their seven-year-old son Arlo after the Croatia match, with the couple also having daughters Ostara, two, and one-year-old Misty. Pickford was candid about the effort the FA puts into keeping the squad grounded. “The FA put a lot of hard work in behind the scenes that a lot of the media, the fans and the people at home don’t see,” he said. “It makes it feel like home. Even just little things like the family box — what was in mine? Haribos! Some nice bits, some photos and some cards.”

Newcastle United defender Dan Burn, 34, said his wife Roz and their children Indi and Ari were combining the World Cup trip with a broader US holiday, describing it as a “dream trip” for the family. Goalkeeper James Trafford received a Lego toy tractor from his wife — a nod to his upbringing on a family farm in Cumbria, where he learned to drive a tractor as a child.

Megan Pickford provided some lighter relief from the trip, sharing the story of her lost luggage on arrival in the United States. Her suitcase failed to arrive with her flight, prompting her to joke online: “Arrived in America yesterday… my suitcase did not. Can I wear my seven-year-old’s top for the game tonight or not?” The saga continued as Jordan’s brother stayed behind in Dallas to retrieve the case, only to be told it was held in customs for 24 hours — leaving him stranded and Megan in possession of his bag.

England’s players will return to training at their Kansas City base with a clear objective: a win over Ghana on Tuesday would secure their place in the knockout stages of the 2026 World Cup.