The England players in the official squad for the 2026 World Cup will not be permitted to fly around the United States by head coach Thomas Tuchel.
The Three Lions played their pre-tournament games in Florida, beating New Zealand and Costa Rica, while also thrashing Miami FC in a behind-closed-doors friendly.
Tuchel’s side will travel to Kansas to base themselves at The Inn at Meadowbrook, which is just south of Kansas City.
While the England players selected for the 2026 World Cup will be granted days off between games, Tuchel has decided to ban them from flying.
Thomas Tuchel wants to minimise travel for England players
The former Chelsea coach does not want his players flying around the US because their World Cup fixture schedule involves a lot of flying in the first place.
In quotes sourced by The Daily Telegraph, Tuchel said: “They can almost do what they want. For example, they can’t take a flight. They can almost do what they want but we said no flights because hopefully we have a lot of flights through the tournament.
“No one has asked for a flight. They are adults, they are determined as well so the trust is not only a one-way street. We expect them to live up to the trust, the responsibility we give them. Everything I have seen of them is a determined group who have a dream but know what it takes and I have full belief and trust that they will not gamble on that.”
England play Croatia in Dallas on June 17, Ghana in Boston on June 23 and Panama in New York on June 27. The knockout stages – if they get there – could take them to Atlanta, Mexico City and Miami.
This is the biggest World Cup in the 96-year history of the tournament, and a natural byproduct of that is that elite athletes will have to fly around the country.
In some cases, they will need to travel between the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Before flying to Kansas, the players have been granted time off in Florida to enjoy spending time with their family and friends.
They will be allowed to travel to nearby Miami before their World Cup preparations get back underway later this week.
Read more:
Here’s what happened and who scored as England thrash Miami FC behind closed doors
Thomas Tuchel’s controversial choice scrutinized after unbelievable missed goal vs Costa Rica
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