England squad flies to Florida as Tuchel begins World Cup preparation in earnest

An initial contingent of England’s World Cup squad flew out of Birmingham on Monday, beginning a pre-tournament camp in Palm Beach, Florida, as Thomas Tuchel prepares his side for their Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June. The tournament, which spans three countries and four time zones, runs through to 19 July.

Several high-profile players — including Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke — were not part of the initial departure, having featured in the Champions League final against PSG, and will join the camp later.

The squad will spend five days acclimatising to Palm Beach temperatures expected to exceed 30°C before a warm-up friendly against New Zealand in Tampa Bay on Saturday. A second friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando follows the Tuesday after, with a period of rest and family time scheduled before the group relocates to their tournament base in Kansas City.

Tuchel, who succeeded Sir Gareth Southgate in November 2024 with the explicit brief of winning the tournament, has framed the challenge in unambiguous terms. In a team meeting held in March 2025 — documented in a Football Association documentary — he presented a chart titled Mount Everest Summit and addressed his players directly.

“I want to arrive here at the top, with the toughest group in the world,” Tuchel told the squad. “When we arrive on the plane and land, we will already know that this will be a great camp and this will be a team no one wants to play against. And they will feel it in the mixed zone, they will feel it in the tunnel, they will smell it.”

The German coach, who was once advised by his own agent that his nationality would prevent him from ever managing England, is targeting a first World Cup title for the nation since 1966. Should he succeed, Tuchel would join Sir Alf Ramsey as the only managers to have won the tournament with England, adding a second star to the shirt after 60 years of near-misses and disappointment.

England’s campaign, if it reaches the final, would conclude in New Jersey.