England travel to America, Canada and Mexico next summer as part of the favorites to win the World Cup, but FA chairman Mark Bullingham is relishing the opportunity ahead of Friday’s draw.
Manager Thomas Tuchel will give England “brilliant energy” and do everything they can to win the World Cup. Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham pledged to leave no stone unturned in terms of preparation.
And Bullingham strongly believes Tuchel has given England a huge chance of winning the senior men’s trophy for the first time since 1966.
England manager Tuchel will join Scotland’s Steve Clarke in a draw in Washington on Friday to find opponents for next summer’s tournaments in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tuchel, who is on an 18-month contract to deliver the trophy, led England to a perfect qualifying season with a 100 per cent clean sheet.
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“We’re really excited about where we’re at right now,” Bullingham said. “Thomas came in and had a really great run.”
“You can feel the bright energy in camp and you can see the players are responding really well to him, so we’re looking forward to the tournament.”
“Obviously it’s going to be tough for the European teams in the heat, but we’re going to do the best we can and we’re looking forward to it.
“I think we’ve had some great teams over the years. I think we still have a great team and we’ll be among the top teams.”
“But there are some other great teams out there. So, of course, there’s nothing we can control other than the fact that we’re going to do everything we can to do well.”
England will know their opponents on Friday, but their date, schedule and venue will not be known until Saturday, when full details are known.
However, England will use Inter Miami’s home ground as a training camp and will also play two friendlies in Florida to help them adapt to the scorching temperatures.
They would like to make Kansas City their preferred training location, but that will depend on where they play their games.
But Bullingham insists the FA is fully prepared in terms of support and training base and will fully support Tuchel.
Mr Bullingham added: “It’s going to be a difficult tournament for any team in terms of logistics. The distance, the change in climate and the change in altitude only bring further challenges.”
“But it’s the same for everyone and we have to accept it and do the best we can. I think we have a very clear plan and we’re obviously planning for every contingency depending on where we get drawn.”
“Like any leading nation, we have a plan to adapt to the environment and give ourselves the best chance. I think we have a great team that has put together a great base camp and we look forward to doing the same again in the tournament.”
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