England Get Down to Work in Kansas City: What We Learned

E ngland arrived at their World Cup base in Kansas City and went straight to work, holding their first session at Swope Soccer Village after settling in at the Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village, the BBC reports. Thomas Tuchel’s squad trained in temperatures around 31C under heavy security ahead of their opening match against Croatia.

Signs of an unchanged side

There were hints that Tuchel may stick with the team that started a warm-up win over Costa Rica. For part of the session the 10 outfield players who started that game, including Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Reece James, trained together away from the rest. One possible change is Bukayo Saka for Noni Madueke, but Tuchel has said Saka must be managed through the tournament for fitness, and the Arsenal forward trained apart from the apparent starters and did not look to be moving freely.

Squad plays down equipment theft

Players sought to downplay a theft of equipment from a vehicle moving kit from England’s Florida camp to Kansas City. Kansas City police said two men had been charged in connection with the incident, in which about $18,000 of property was taken; the Football Association said no elite performance equipment was missing and most items had been recovered. "I’ve not lost anything personally. It’s not really disrupted our preparations," said defender Dan Burn.

Focus shifts to Croatia

With acclimatisation done, the work now turns to the group games against Croatia, Ghana and Panama. "The focus is on Croatia," Tuchel said, while captain Harry Kane called Croatia "a difficult team" who have shown at the last two World Cups they can be among the best. "This is where the business starts," Kane added.

Reporting: based on BBC Sport, by Sami Mokbel in Kansas City, June 14, 2026.