England will be in Group L for next summer’s World Cup, where they will face Croatia, Panama and Ghana, and manager Thomas Tuchel has also brought a big positive.
Thomas Tuchel has received a huge boost to his World Cup plans thanks to this draw. This could mean the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice could join England’s training base in Miami next summer.
England face Croatia on June 17, the latest date a country can play their first World Cup match. England manager Tuchel will have maximum time to prepare for the World Cup, which will be six days after the tournament opens on June 11.
But the real key for Tuchel is whether the players who will play in the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 will be able to participate throughout the training camp in Florida.
Real Madrid star Bellingham, Bayern Munich star Kane and Arsenal midfielder Rice could all feature in the Champions League final, along with Bukayo Saka and Ebelesi Eze.
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Manchester City also has a number of England players on their roster, and it would have been a big mess if they hadn’t been in Florida.
England will use Inter Miami’s training facility in Fort Lauderdale and will play two friendlies in Florida before the World Cup begins. Tuchel wants to base his players in Miami as a boot camp to help them get used to the American heat.
England are also scheduled to play Ghana on June 23rd and Panama on June 27th. Two friendlies against Japan and Uruguay are also scheduled at Wembley in March as the final games before Tuchel names him in his World Cup squad.
However, England’s predominately East Coast base means they will have to consider other training locations rather than their preferred option of camping in Kansas City.
Dallas could be considered, but FIFA also wants players to travel and train in each country within an hour of the stadium where each match will be played.
Tuchel admitted the draw could change base camp plans and affect his thoughts on potential friendly opponents. Japan and Uruguay have largely agreed, but they may consider playing teams with a similar style in June.
Asked whether the draw had affected his plans, Tuchel said: “Yes, I think so. We had some preferred options, but I think they’re out of the box now, but we’ll see.”
“We have some staff members who know everything about every hotel in the U.S. right now and know everything about what’s possible for us. We’re going to figure it out and make some decisions.”
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