Henderson calls for collective sacrifice as England acclimatise in Florida ahead of World Cup

Jordan Henderson has called on England to be ready to sacrifice for one another as the squad sweats through a 12-day pre-tournament training camp in Palm Beach, Florida, ahead of their World Cup opener against Croatia on June 17 — the same day the midfielder turns 36.

England trained for 70 minutes in 32-degree heat at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis and Pickleball Centre on Tuesday, the same facility Portugal will use as their World Cup base. Manager Thomas Tuchel organised the camp to help European players adjust to the climate and conditions they will face in the United States this summer, with friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica scheduled in Tampa and Orlando.

“It’s important to build your capacity for these conditions,” Henderson said. “It’s hard to really adapt when you’re playing all over. But this week is about building that capacity, to get used to the heat a little bit. The games will be good to get that exposure. We’ve got an amazing team behind the team, having researched how to cool down, recover, and that sort of stuff. So that’s top level and hopefully that can give us a little edge as well when we get into the tournament.”

Henderson, attending his fourth World Cup, acknowledged the squad’s quality while stressing that talent alone will not be enough. “To do that, we’ll have to be on it every day. We have to be ready to sacrifice for each other. It’s exciting, but there’s a lot of work to be done and we’re looking forward to getting going. We have to be ready to do all the invisible work, as the gaffer says, and be there to support each other because we all know the talent the squad has and what we can do and how we can hurt teams.”

The veteran midfielder was considered fortunate to make the squad after missing a significant portion of the domestic season through injury, returning only late in the campaign. He said he is determined to repay the faith shown in him. “I’m very honoured and lucky to have this opportunity. But it’s the same as always, to be the best version of myself, to be ready to help the team, on and off the pitch, and just give absolutely everything.”

Fifteen players flew into Miami from Birmingham on Monday, with the rest joining after nearby holidays. The squad was greeted by a heavy storm on arrival, though training the following day took place under clear skies before dark clouds gathered shortly after the session ended — a reminder of the unpredictable Florida summer weather England will need to manage throughout the camp.