England head coach Thomas Tuchel has instructed his World Cup squad to take a holiday in United States time zones ahead of the 2026 tournament, hoping to ease acclimatisation. Twenty‑one of the 26‑man group will touch down in Florida on Monday for a pre‑tournament camp, followed by warm‑up games against New Zealand on June 6 and Costa Rica on June 10.

Tuchel’s plan centres on adjusting to the six‑hour difference between the UK and the squad’s training base in Kansas City, Missouri. The opening group match against Croatia takes place in Dallas, also six hours behind London, while later fixtures in Boston and New Jersey sit five hours behind. Studies suggest roughly a quarter of World Cup matches will exceed 26 °C, making climate adaptation equally vital.

Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka, together with Crystal Palace keeper Dean Henderson, will arrive after their recent European finals, while Premier League youngsters Alex Scott, Jason Steele, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri join the West Palm Beach camp later this week. By syncing rest and training schedules, Tuchel hopes England will hit the ground running when the group stage begins on June 17.