England’s 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa was, by Thomas Tuchel’s own admission, a glorified training session. The head coach used 22 different players in the match – the first time England have done that since June 2004 – and now, with one friendly left before the World Cup begins, the experimentation must end.
England are in the final stages of preparing for the 2026 World Cup in the United States. They play their last warm-up game against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, before their tournament opener against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, 17 June. Tuchel has spent the past few months trying out different players and formations, but he has not yet settled on his first-choice XI.
“England's final World Cup preparations under Thomas Tuchel, including friendlies, squad decisions, and key storylines.”
Tuchel’s experimental approach has been driven by a number of factors. Key Arsenal players Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were given extra rest after their Premier League title win and Champions League final loss, missing the New Zealand friendly. In previous friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley in March, Tuchel fielded Phil Foden as a striker, and gave chances to James Garner and Dominic Solanke – none of whom made his World Cup squad. Even Ivan Toney, who had been out of the England picture for a year, played the second half against New Zealand. Tuchel acknowledged that many of his players “last played together in November” and that he only had four training sessions with his full squad before the New Zealand game.
For UK readers, this matters because England fans care deeply about the team’s prospects. The final squad selection and starting lineup will be scrutinised. Transfer activity also adds intrigue: Anthony Gordon’s £70m move to Barcelona was welcomed by Tuchel, who said it “can only encourage” the winger, and it sets up a battle with Marcus Rashford for a starting spot. At club level, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke compete for both Arsenal and England, which Tuchel cited as evidence that rivalry can be healthy. Another talking point was the debut of 17-year-old Liverpool talent Rio Ngumoha, who impressed but cannot be added to the World Cup squad because he was not in the initial 55-player list submitted to FIFA.
Q: When does England’s World Cup campaign start? England begin their World Cup against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June in Dallas, Texas. They have one more friendly – against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday – to finalise their preparations.
Q: Why did Thomas Tuchel use 22 players against New Zealand? Tuchel wanted to give his squad minutes in testing, hot conditions. The match was effectively a training exercise, with many first-team players rested, and the full squad had only just come together after a long gap since November.
Q: Can Rio Ngumoha be added to England’s World Cup squad? No. The 17-year-old Liverpool starlet impressed on his debut but was not included in the 55-player preliminary roster submitted to FIFA, meaning he cannot be promoted to the final 23-man squad.
What happens next? Tuchel has said the Costa Rica friendly will be his chance to “wheel out the big guns” and reveal a lineup close to his first-choice XI. Once the World Cup starts, he will have to rely on the options he has chosen – and hope his experiments have paid off.