Kane has applauded England’s preparation as the squad arrives at base camp

Harry Kane said England had enjoyed “great preparation” ahead of the World Cup season as the squad landed in Kansas City – the base camp for the tournament.

Thomas Tuchel’s men arrived in the Midwest on Saturday after a camp in Florida, where they played two friendlies, against New Zealand and Costa Rica, winning both.

They are among the favorites to win the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States after coming close to winning silverware at recent major tournaments.

England captain Kane said preparation for Wednesday’s opening match against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, had been «top notch».

“The way we worked, the way we trained, the preparation for games, the way we played and also just being together, the way we reconnected,” he said.

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«Also the relaxation out there, the recovery part of it. Everything was at the highest level, so I feel like we can go into this part of the camp knowing that we’ve had a great preparation.»

The 32-year-old Bayern Munich forward said that now that the team was in Kansas City, they could «start to feel the real World Cup prospects.»

“Obviously we still have a few days until our first match, but this is where things start,” he added.

“This will hopefully be our home for the next six weeks, and I look forward to getting started.”

Kane said England’s performance in the 3-0 win against Costa Rica on Wednesday was «top notch from start to finish» as they prepare for a tough opener in Group L.

“Croatia is a difficult team,” he said.

“They have proven, especially in the last two World Cups, that they can be one of the best teams in the tournament and we have to be ready for that,” added Kane, who was part of the side that lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.

Tuchel, appointed with a brief to win England’s first World Cup since 1966, said his men were «ready to go».

“We have acclimatized,” said the German. «We’ve been in the country for a while. They’ve worked hard enough. We’ve been exposed to enough heat. We’re in a good place.»

The other two teams in Group L are Ghana and Panama.

Published on June 14, 2026