Kane plays down heat concerns as England prepare for the World Cup campaign

England captain Harry Kane said the heat “won’t be a factor” for his team at the World Cup, pointing to the training schedule in warm conditions ahead of the tournament.

England, ranked number 4 in the world, will open their campaign against Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, Texas.

The Three Lions play their final warm-up match against Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday.

«To be honest, I don’t think the heat has been too bad,» Kane told reporters after England’s 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday.

The 32-year-old striker scored the only goal of the match with a header in injury time of the first half. It was Kane’s 67th goal of the year for club and country.

Temperatures in Tampa were in the 90s.

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«Obviously we got used to it in training. After the first few days I felt like most of the guys were used to it,» Kane said. “Today it actually didn’t feel that terrible out there, so I think there’s a talking point that might be overstated, to be honest.

«We are all professional athletes. We have all done the right preparation to prepare for this tournament, also between us and the staff. We still have about ten days until that first match, training in this environment, so I think when the tournament comes, this will no longer be a factor.»

Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, is England’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 113 appearances since 2015.

England’s other matches in Group L are against Ghana on June 23 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and against Panama on June 27 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Published on June 7, 2026