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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Matt Hughes

England’s late 2026 World Cup start gives FA headache over warm-up matches

FA England World Cup Thomas Tuchel Fifa
Harry Kane celebrates after scoring England's first goal against Albania in their most recent match
Harry Kane and his England colleagues have not played opponents ranked higher than 19th in the world under Thomas Tuchel. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

The Football Association is experiencing difficulties in securing suitable opposition for England’s World Cup warm-up games owing to their late start to the expanded 48-team tournament.

England open against Croatia on the last day of the first round of games on 17 June, six days after the first match between Mexico and South Africa, and Thomas Tuchel wants final preparation games as close to his team’s tournament kick-off as possible.

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