The sun beat down in Tampa, Florida, the pitch still showing its joins after being laid just days before, and Thomas Tuchel sent out two entirely different England teams for each half of a friendly against New Zealand. It was, as chief football writer Phil McNulty put it, a glorified training session under the guise of international football. But with the World Cup opener against Croatia less than two weeks away, these experiments carry real weight.
England's 1-0 win over New Zealand, courtesy of Harry Kane's glancing header in first-half stoppage time, was the first of two warm-up matches before the tournament begins on June 17. Tuchel fielded 22 different players in the match, the first time England has done so since June 2004, when they played Iceland before the European Championship. The rationale was simple: with many players not having played together since November, and key Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke given extra rest after the Champions League final, Tuchel needed to give minutes to as many squad members as possible in testing, strength-sapping conditions. The heat in Tampa was 90 degrees pitch side, and beer cost nearly £14.
“England's Thomas Tuchel experiments with 22 players in World Cup warm-up win over New Zealand.”
Thomas Tuchel took over as England head coach and has used the pre-tournament friendlies to experiment. In March, against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley, he fielded Phil Foden up front against Japan, and against Uruguay gave minutes to Everton's James Garner and Spurs striker Dominic Solanke – none of whom made his final World Cup squad. Ivan Toney, after a year in the England wilderness, came on for the second half against New Zealand. This pattern of experimentation has led to some criticism that Tuchel hasn't yet settled on his strongest XI.
For UK readers, this matters because England's World Cup hopes – and the nation's summer – hang on getting the selection right. The friendly against New Zealand underlined two key points: Harry Kane remains indispensable (he scored his 79th goal in 113 caps, and as John Cross of the Mirror put it, "the Three Lions have got no chance without Harry Kane at this World Cup"), and Jude Bellingham must start. Bellingham came on at half-time, took the captain's armband, and according to reports "stole the show with his skill, vision and quality". The big dilemma appears to be who plays behind Kane: Morgan Rogers started in that role against New Zealand, suggesting he is in Tuchel's thinking.
Q: When does England's World Cup campaign start? England's first group match is against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. They have one more friendly before that, against Costa Rica in Orlando.
Q: Why did Thomas Tuchel rest key players like Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka? Rice and Saka, along with others from Arsenal, were given an extra week off after Arsenal won the Premier League and lost the Champions League final to Paris St-Germain. Tuchel wanted them to rest and join the camp later.
Q: What did the friendly against New Zealand reveal about England's likely starting XI? It confirmed Harry Kane will start up front. Jude Bellingham impressed and is expected to start. The defence and midfield options are still being tested, with Jarell Quansah and Djed Spence playing as full-backs against New Zealand – but neither is expected to start against Croatia.
What happens next is clear: England play Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, their final warm-up. Tuchel has said this is the chance to "wheel out the big guns" and field a lineup close to what he will use against Croatia. With the Arsenal quartet back and the experimental phase over, the real business begins.