Prince William has vowed to fly to the United States for the World Cup final if England reach it – but only after the team’s head coach, Thomas Tuchel, faced withering criticism from Wayne Rooney, the nation’s second-highest scorer.
On the New Heights podcast, co-host Travis Kelce asked the Prince of Wales: “They make it to the finals, you’re gonna make the trip across the pond?” William replied: “Definitely. If we’re in the finals.” Fellow co-host Jason Kelce responded: “Well, maybe. Maybe. See you both there for the final.”
“Prince William will fly to US for World Cup final if England reach it; Rooney slams Tuchel's tactics.”
England squeezed past the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the round of 32 after topping their group, and now face Mexico in the round of 16. Tuchel’s side would need to win that match in Mexico City, along with a quarter‑final and semi‑final, to reach the showpiece occasion.
William, who admitted feeling “quietly confident” about England’s chances, said winning the tournament would constitute success. He praised Tuchel’s approach compared to his predecessor Gareth Southgate, saying: “He’s got them into a really good frame of mind. The team playing with more freedom, more fluidity… Thomas, I think, prefers to go a bit more out there – and if we lose, we lose playing the way we want to play. And if you’re going to score four goals, we’ll score five. And I think that’s a really good attitude.”
The prince also lauded Harry Kane, who could “end up being one of the greatest English strikers we’ve ever seen”.
But from the BBC sofa in Salford, Rooney has been scathing. The former England captain, capped 120 times and scorer of 53 goals, has criticised Tuchel’s “straitjacket” tactics. After England’s unconvincing display against Congo, Rooney said: “It’s really frustrating watching England play like this!”
On his own podcast, Rooney advocated starting Kobbie Mainoo alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham instead of Manchester City’s new £116m midfielder Elliot Anderson. “Mainoo can give you a bit of both, but in tight areas, that’s Mainoo’s biggest strength – his feet in tight areas, and then he has got a little pass,” Rooney argued.
Tuchel ignored the directive, continuing with the “impoverished double pivot of Anderson and Rice”, which left Rooney “perplexed and frustrated”. He warned: “I am worried. If this is how he plays, I am sorry, these tactics won’t work on higher‑ranked teams.”
Rooney, described as a “glow‑up” king of commentary – clean‑shaven, slimmed down, delivering analysis in cashmere – has emerged as a powerful voice speaking truth to Tuchel’s power, articulating the frustrations of a nation expecting more from their team.