Thomas Tuchel is turning England’s World Cup camp into a culinary experience, with themed food nights and regular barbecues designed to build team spirit and give his squad an edge in the United States. The Football Association has brought in top chefs to oversee a range of different meals, and players enjoyed pizza after England’s win over New Zealand in the sweltering heat of Tampa last weekend.
Barbecues have become a regular feature for lunch and dinner, following a pattern set at the last Euros when Italian, Chinese and Mexican themed nights were organised. Tuchel is particularly keen on outdoor dining, believing it brings everyone together. FA experts say the communal eating even helps mental and cognitive recovery. The menu includes chicken, fish, meats, and vegan and vegetarian options, ensuring all players are catered for.
“Tuchel hosts team-bonding World Cup barbecues and brings retro Lucozade pouches to give England an edge.”
Alongside the food, England have shipped in 1,000 Lucozade Elite pouches – a retro throwback to the John Barnes adverts of the 1990s when he kicked an isotonic drink carton into a dressing room bin. The 350ml high carbohydrate electrolyte drinks are used during games to refuel, and players will have 5.7 million millilitres of Lucozade available, including high-tech specialised refuelling drinks. Lucozade are an FA sponsor, but FIFA are strict on branding and labels, so the specialist pouches – made for the England team but not commercially available – will not have the sticker on display at refuelling breaks.
Jude Bellingham, who fronts Lucozade’s campaign, said: “Everything around preparation, hydration and fuelling has to be right so you can perform consistently throughout a game. The right preparation can make a big difference.”
Dr Chris Rosimus, the FA’s Lead Performance Nutritionist, explained the thinking behind the pouches: “As the game continues to evolve, performance teams are constantly looking at practical ways to support players in training and competition. Hydration, fuelling and recovery all play an important role, particularly when players are operating in demanding schedules, challenging environments and high-intensity competition. One of the areas we explored was how players could consume carbohydrates during competition. The original Lucozade Sport pouch demonstrated how practical a squeezable liquid format could be. That insight helped inspire an entirely new solution developed specifically for the demands of modern football.”