World Cup 2026: England will not adapt style in USA heat, says Thomas Tuchel
Thomas Tuchel has said he is “not ready” to adapt England’s style of play at the World Cup despite the heat because it would “give up” the team’s strengths.
Since taking over as head coach in January 2025, Tuchel has stated how much he enjoys the physicality of English domestic football and that the national team should copy that style.
The 52-year-old’s squad selections followed this sentiment, with an emphasis on physicality and strong running when selecting his 26-man squad for the tournament.
“They want to be active with the ball,” the German told BBC Sport about the England team ahead of their World Cup opener against Croatia on Wednesday (21:00 BST).
“We have a young group. We have a brave group. We have a brave group of players.
“So let’s move on. I mean, no one guarantees you that we will win. So we want to at least try our style and our belief.”
In the US, Mexico and Canada, temperatures are extremely high and mandatory hydration breaks have been introduced in all matches, effectively splitting matches into quarters.
Speaking at the press conference before the Croatia match, Tuchel said hydration breaks “can change the character of each half”.
He acknowledged that three-minute intervals give coaches a chance to “change and reset” when giving “group messages” during games.
Temperatures in Dallas will be above 30C when England start their opening match in Group L, but the effects of the heat will be reduced because the Dallas Stadium is one of the air-conditioned indoor venues used in this World Cup.
The start of the tournament in that stadium gave Tuchel the belief that his team could impose its style on Croatia “because we are playing indoors”.
But the England boss touched on the impact of the heat on his players at their training base in Kansas City.
“Even in training yesterday it was very hot,” Tuchel said.
“And we can sense that it has more impact than, for example, today. Let’s see.
“I’m not ready to adapt to a different style of football because of circumstances we can’t influence. I think we’d give up on our strengths.”
