Captain Harry Kane told his England teammates to «go for it» and be «free-minded» when the country launches its World Cup title challenge against Croatia in Texas on Wednesday.
England are among the favorites for the tournament in North America after a series of near misses at recent European Championships and World Cups.
But history weighs heavily on Thomas Tuchel’s talented side, who is chasing his first major trophy in 60 years.
Bayern Munich striker Kane, who is expected to provide England’s goals, said: “It is certainly one of the best chances we will have as a team to get the win.
“I think everyone is eager to just start well tomorrow and prove that we have the capabilities to go far in this tournament.”
Kane comes into the World Cup after another productive season in Germany and, at 32, has experience of going deep with his country on the biggest stages.
The England squad is a balance of older heads and youngsters, and Kane said: “Ultimately the message for me is just to be free-minded.
“I think whatever tournament you play in, if you feel like you’re going for it, you’re going for the wins, you’re going for the pressure, you’re leaving everything on the field, then you can keep your head up no matter what the outcome is.”
Earlier Tuesday, defender Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury and replaced by Trevoh Chalobah.
The Newcastle right-back, 23, suffered the injury during training at the Kansas City base on Sunday.
«Of course he was disappointed and so were we,» said German Tuchel, who has made it clear that winning the World Cup for his adopted country is his goal.
«He was an important player and in good form.»
He added: «Tino was sad but the injury happened days ago so it’s out of the system and we’re good to go.»
England fell twice at the final hurdle at the European Championship and reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 under Gareth Southgate.
That came after a run to the semi-finals in Russia four years earlier, where it was defeated by Wednesday’s opponents Croatia.
Asked by reporters what his message was for the people of England, where expectations are as high as ever, former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel said: “I hope they enjoy our match and that tomorrow they can feel and see what I felt and saw for the last 16 days.
“(That means) brilliant effort and brilliant atmosphere, attitude of the players and of the whole team around the team, behind the team.
“So I hope we can express that and show that, and that they can be proud of us.”
He added: “We have the right to dream, but we don’t want to be delusional.”
Also in a competitive Group L are Ghana and Panama.
Published on June 17, 2026
