Saka injury concern clouds England's World Cup eve as Infantino prepares press conference

Bukayo Saka’s fitness has emerged as a significant concern for England on the eve of the 2026 World Cup, with manager Thomas Tuchel confirming the Arsenal forward is being carefully managed through an Achilles problem ahead of Wednesday’s warm-up friendly against Costa Rica in Florida.

Saka, widely expected to start in Tuchel’s first-choice XI, carried the injury through the back end of Arsenal’s Premier League title-winning season. Tuchel acknowledged the issue has not fully cleared heading into the tournament, saying: “We still have to take care a little bit about Bukayo, who had an injury in the March camp and carried it through, of course, into his club campaign. He was available and made himself available in the end of the season, and did this brilliantly, but he was managed in-between matches and that continues a little bit at the very moment, so we’re building him up.”

England defeated New Zealand 1-0 last Saturday in their opening warm-up and will host a behind-closed-doors training match on Thursday before relocating to their tournament base in Kansas. Tuchel has indicated his players are ready to “physically push” through the remaining preparation fixtures.

The tournament itself opens on Thursday when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in Mexico City. The build-up has been overshadowed by the case of Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was denied entry to the United States. The Trump administration stated Artan was refused a visa due to alleged links to “suspected members of terror organisations”, a claim that followed FIFA’s confirmation he would not officiate at the tournament.

Adding to the pre-tournament activity, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is scheduled to hold a major press conference on the eve of kick-off — his first such address ahead of a World Cup since his 2022 appearance, which drew widespread criticism after he made a series of controversial personal statements including the phrase “I feel gay”.

With the draw already made, England’s potential path to the final has been mapped out, though Tuchel will be focused on more immediate questions — not least whether Saka will be fit enough to play a full role when the group stage begins.