World Cup 2026: When does it start, when is England’s first game, where is their preparation and base camp?
The England squad is jetting off to the United States today (June 1) to begin their preparation for the World Cup.
Led by captain Harry Kane, the England squad was named by Thomas Tuchel in a live show that was broadcast from Wembley Stadium via the official England app. Thomas Tuchel said: "It is truly exciting and a great privilege to be able to name an England squad for the World Cup.
Tuchel also added that "It has been a tough process to decide on the nomination, but I have full belief in this group of players. They all deserve their place. The squad and everyone involved with the team will give all we can to make the country proud. We know they are behind us and we hope for a very special summer.”
Which players were named in the England World Cup 2026 squad?
The players named in the England World Cup 2026 squad were:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
When does the World Cup 2026 start?
The group stage for the World Cup 2026 starts on June 11.
Where is England’s preparation camp?
For the duration of their preparation camp, England will be based in Miami, Florida.
Where is England’s base camp?
After preparation camp in Florida, the England team will move to their base camp in Kansas City. Joining the preparation camp will be AFC Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, Fulham’s Josh King, Liverpool’s Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri.
Thomas Tuchel said: “We will take some young players out who will train with us in the size of the squad that we need, and we have the two friendly matches to take care of the minutes and the load on the players.
“I’m happy to have these players, especially Alex who was on the [long] list of 55 [players for the 26-man World Cup squad] and obviously he didn’t make the first cut but the reaction of him was outstanding and the commitment and wish to be in pre-camp and a step closer to the team was not even a question for him.
“That showed me his character and I’m delighted he’ll be with us because that was a close call and he gets a chance to get a step closer and a cap.”
When is England’s first game?
England will pay Croatia on June 17.
Will there be warm up games?
Yes. England will play New Zealand at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday 6 June (4pm local/9pm BST kick-off). England will then play Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Wednesday 10 June (4pm local/9pm BST kick-off).