Tuchel names Rice as England vice-captain with eye on future captaincy

Thomas Tuchel has named Declan Rice as England’s vice-captain for the 2026 World Cup, identifying the Arsenal midfielder as the long-term successor to captain Harry Kane.

Tuchel made the announcement at a press conference in West Palm Beach, where England are based ahead of their friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday. Rice, along with Arsenal teammates Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, joined the squad after the Champions League final.

The England manager placed Rice in a “special group” of untouchables alongside Kane, describing both as nailed-on starters. Rice sits within England’s leadership group, which Kane heads as captain, but Tuchel made clear the 26-year-old is next in line.

In a candid exchange, Tuchel admitted he was not entirely certain whether he had formally communicated the vice-captaincy to Rice. “I think I would say Declan is my vice-captain,” Tuchel said, before pausing when asked whether Rice had been told. “That is a good question. I was just thinking about it. Whether it is an official thing or not. But I think we had this talk when Harry was not in camp with us — was it against Wales? We started with Ollie Watkins and I think Declan was captain. That was where I told him.”

That reference was to a friendly against Wales last year in which Rice did wear the armband. With Kane turning 33 next month, Tuchel is already planning for the captaincy succession, and Rice is clearly the frontrunner.

On the four Arsenal players who have just arrived in camp, Tuchel was cautious about their involvement against Costa Rica, noting they would need time to recover and train before he commits them to significant minutes. “I am not sure about the Arsenal players. Let’s see how they come back. Three training days and let’s see,” he said.

Tuchel added that some players would need 60 to 70 minutes against Costa Rica as part of the World Cup build-up, with a further behind-closed-doors match planned the following day to manage workloads ahead of the tournament opener against Croatia.