June 6, 2026
World
World
WASHINGTON, June 6 — US President Donald Trump said Friday he wants his incoming acting spy chief to begin cutting staff, further fuelling controversy over the appointment of a man with no prior intelligence experience.
WEST PALM BEACH, June 6 — England coach Thomas Tuchel said Friday that his World Cup hopefuls will not treat extreme heat and long travel between venues as excuses as they prepare for what he expects to be a demanding tournament.
England will face New Zealand in a pre-World Cup friendly in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Saturday, after training in hot and humid conditions in West Palm Beach.
“We don’t want it to be an excuse. It will be tough. It will be hopefully a long World Cup,” Tuchel said at a press conference.
“There will be a lot of travelling, a lot of adversity from the heat and humidity.”
Tuchel also admitted he was “a little bit worried and concerned” after seeing images of the recently relaid pitch in Tampa, but said the condition of the surface is unlikely to influence his selection decisions for the match.
He confirmed that England plan to make 11 substitutions at half-time.
“Let’s decide when we are there. If there are any issues, we can always react,” he added.
England, aiming to end a 60-year wait for a World Cup title, head into the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada as one of the favourites alongside France, Spain and defending champions Argentina.
After their friendly against New Zealand and another warm-up match against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, England will move to their training base in Kansas City, where temperatures are expected to exceed 30°C alongside possible thunderstorms.
Their tournament opener against Croatia on June 17 in Dallas could see temperatures reach around 35°C.
Should they progress, England may also face challenging conditions in Mexico City’s altitude and a potential knockout match in Miami.
“That’s also the task — to stay calm, patient, and adapt to the circumstances,” Tuchel said. “That’s what it takes to go through a tournament.”
Despite the conditions, Tuchel insisted he will stick with his high-intensity pressing system.
“There’s value in winning the ball high, even if it’s risky and physically demanding,” he said.
England, runners-up at the last two European Championships, are in Group L alongside Ghana, Panama and Croatia, the latter having eliminated a young England side in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Tuchel said his squad now benefits from greater tournament-winning experience, with around a dozen players having lifted trophies this year.
“We’re very happy to have a lot of winners. It builds real confidence — not artificial,” he said.
He added that he already has “a clear idea” of 14–15 players who could form his starting core against Croatia.
Defender Ezri Konsa said most England players are still adjusting to the conditions.
“Most of our players are not used to this kind of heat,” he said. “But we have to adapt quickly.” — AFP
