Tuchel confirms full England squad available after pitch concerns in New Zealand win

Thomas Tuchel confirmed England emerged from their 2026 World Cup warm-up victory over New Zealand in Tampa without any injury concerns, giving the head coach a full squad to work with ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Costa Rica.

The Three Lions edged past the World Cup minnows in their opening pre-tournament fixture, though the performance left plenty of room for improvement. Attention had turned to the playing surface at Raymond James Stadium — the home of NFL franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — with coaches wary of the risks such pitches can pose. Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa went down late in the game, but Tuchel confirmed he had not suffered a significant problem.

“We will acclimatise to the humidity and the sun whilst we are here,” Tuchel said. “The most positive thing is we can keep training with the whole group because no one is injured. We have no complaints.”

Tuchel indicated he will make wholesale changes for the Costa Rica fixture, with a number of players set for extended minutes. He also confirmed the Arsenal contingent had joined the group. “A chunk of players will get more minutes,” he said. “The Arsenal players are in from today which is good because it gives us energy and quality. Then we have another one and a half days off before we go to Kansas and prepare for Croatia.”

Harry Kane opened the scoring against New Zealand and has arrived in the United States in formidable shape, having netted 60 times for Bayern Munich this season. The striker also moved to ease concerns about the extreme heat that has dominated pre-tournament discussion.

“The drinks breaks help,” Kane said. “A lot of people are talking about the heat but I don’t think it’s going to be as big a factor as what some people say. Me personally and a few of the boys who have been training for a while in it felt fine today. We’re all athletes, we’re all professionals and have played in warm weather conditions before.”

England’s World Cup campaign begins on June 17, with their three group games spread across 10 days.