England Prepares for World Cup: Tuchel's Next Step Against Costa Rica

The heat in Florida is brutal, the kind that clings to you and refuses to let go. Thomas Tuchel wants his England players to embrace it.

A week out from their World Cup opener against Croatia, England face Costa Rica in their final public tune‑up, and the head coach is clear: this is no gentle run-through. This is where the workload spikes and the rhythm sharpens.

“We want to take the next step, and we feel ready for it,” Tuchel said, outlining a plan that moves England out of pre-season mode and into tournament gear.

From Tampa toil to a real push

Since landing in hot, humid Florida last Monday, England have lived in the heat. West Palm Beach has been their training base, with a sweltering friendly in Tampa against New Zealand wedged in the middle.

That match, a laboured 1-0 win with Tuchel fielding different XIs in each half, will not live long in the memory. It was functional. Necessary. Nothing more.

This one should be different.

Costa Rica have not qualified for the World Cup, but they offer a useful final hurdle before England fly to their base in Kansas City on Saturday. Tuchel is demanding more than a simple run-out.

“No-one needs a break, everyone is available. That’s the very good news,” he said. “No-one was injured, no complaints, after the first match. One day for recovery, two good training sessions and ready to give it a push tomorrow.

“Push means more than 45 minutes – players will play 60, maybe some 70. That’s the plan.”

The message is unmistakable: the time for half-measures has gone.

Managing Saka, loading the squad

One name still carries a small asterisk. Bukayo Saka’s fitness is being carefully managed after an Achilles issue, with Tuchel and his staff determined not to gamble this close to the tournament.

Around him, though, the picture is bright. The head coach has a full squad training, and he intends to use the Costa Rica game – and what follows – to balance the physical load across the group.

England have arranged a behind-closed-doors game against Miami FC on Thursday, a controlled environment to top up minutes for those who need them and to work on specific details away from prying eyes.

“We then have the chance to load the players on day later in a match behind closed doors in our training facilities,” Tuchel explained. “We can use that for set pieces, and we use it mainly for the load of the players.

“Basically, if you played only 20 minutes (against Costa Rica) I have the chance to give you another 50 or 60 on the next day.

“We are in charge, I think, of the substitutions. We are in charge of the length of the matches, and we can totally dictate as to who is available to give everyone at the end of the pre-camp the same load.

“Then we can start in Kansas on the same level for everyone.”

For a coach obsessed with detail, this is ideal: two games in two days, both under his control, both feeding into a single goal – landing in Kansas City with a squad physically aligned and tactically tuned.

Heat, intensity and a looming opener

After the Costa Rica match in oppressive Orlando conditions, England will return to their warm-weather camp in West Palm Beach before heading north to the Midwest. There, in Kansas City, the real countdown begins.

The World Cup itself kicks off on Thursday with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa, but England must wait until next Wednesday to join the party. Their Group L campaign opens against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, before clashes with Ghana and Panama.

Tuchel wants his team to arrive in Texas with the tempo already set: high ball speed, sharp combinations, and an intensity that survives the heat.

“Like I said, we expect a push tomorrow, physical and from intensity and also from style of play, from ball speed and everything,” he said.

The pre-camp, as Tuchel calls it, ends with this final stretch: Costa Rica in the glare, Miami FC in the shadows, then wheels up to Kansas. After that, there are no rehearsals, no controlled minutes, no dictated substitutions.

Just the adventure he keeps talking about – and a World Cup that will quickly reveal whether this carefully managed “next step” has been enough.