Tuchel backs England to go 'a long way' as squad departs for Miami pre-camp

Thomas Tuchel says he has the “belief and excitement” that England can progress “a long way” at the 2026 World Cup, speaking as his squad prepared to depart for a pre-tournament camp in Miami, Florida. England will use the camp to play two warm-up matches before moving to their permanent base in Kansas City on Saturday 13 June.

Tuchel, who named his 26-man squad more than a week ago, pointed to what he witnessed during training and team meetings as the source of his confidence. “When I reconnected with the games, built our training sessions, built our meetings to reconnect the team in Florida with what we’ve built already, I saw a lot of quality and that is what gave me the full belief and excitement that we can go a long way,” he said.

The German coach also drew encouragement from the reactions of players during the squad selection process, including those who were left out. “There were beautiful, touching reactions even from players who were not called up, wishing us all the best,” Tuchel said. “That gets me personally excited to be close. I can’t wait to be on the plane, look over my shoulder and have finally a team behind me.”

Tuchel was also asked about the heat and humidity England will face in the United States. While he acknowledged the conditions present a genuine challenge after a long domestic season, he was firm that his squad would not use the climate as an excuse. “It is not our biggest enemy but it is not to our advantage,” he said, adding that England have worked with specialists and Team GB to develop cooling strategies and help players adapt.

He noted that altitude could also be a factor in certain fixtures, citing a potential game against Mexico on home soil as an example. “A lot of challenges in this World Cup, the heat is one of them,” Tuchel said. “It is a factor but it should not come across that already we are making excuses — it’s just not in our favour and is another obstacle to overcome.”

England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June, with further group-stage fixtures to follow against Ghana and Panama.