England must end World Cup experiments before Croatia opener

England’s 1-0 win over New Zealand in Tampa carried the scoreline of a tidy warm-up and the feel of a rehearsal still searching for a script. Thomas Tuchel used 22 different players across the match, split his side into two complete halves and turned the night into an examination of options rather than a settled dress run for Croatia.

Harry Kane scored again, but the more urgent detail was what England still did not show. Tuchel has only four training sessions with his squad, and he said many of the players last shared the pitch together in November, half a year earlier. Against New Zealand, he chose to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes rather than lean into continuity. England had not used 22 different players in one men’s match since June 2004, when they played Iceland before Euro 2004.

That approach may have made sense for fitness and evaluation, but the calendar is now tightening. England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, and their final friendly is against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. That match now looms as the last real chance for Tuchel to settle on a lineup close to the one he will trust in the tournament’s first serious test.

The unresolved issues are obvious. Tuchel has already left out Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Cole Palmer from his 26-man squad, prioritising chemistry over pure talent. He has said, “We are trying to select and build the best possible team, which is not necessarily selecting and collecting the 26 most talented players.” That philosophy demands coherence quickly, because England still need combinations that work, not just names on a sheet.

The build-up in Florida has also tested the squad’s ability to adapt. England have trained in heat, humidity, thunderstorms and a lightning delay of almost an hour in West Palm Beach. Tuchel said the players had still managed to train at a high level and that the group needed to stay calm and patient under pressure. England Football’s camp is based in Miami before the team moves on to Kansas City, with young players including Alex Scott, Josh King, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri invited to experience the environment.

Costa Rica should offer more clarity than New Zealand did. England have met the Central Americans only twice before, drawing 0-0 at the 2014 World Cup and winning 2-0 at Elland Road in 2018. Costa Rica missed out on this summer’s tournament after reaching the previous three, which means Tuchel’s side should face a competitive but manageable final check before a group that includes Croatia, Ghana and Panama. England still have time, but not much, and the experiments must end before the opener in Dallas.