OPPONENT WATCH: Tuchel’s England Face All Whites in Tampa Friendly

England will face New Zealand tonight at Raymond James Stadium in their first warm-up match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The kick-off is at 20:00 GMT

Thomas Tuchel’s side, among the tournament favourites, will use this fixture to acclimatise to the Florida heat and humidity. Rotating their fully fit squad, they’ll aim to give as many players 45 minutes of action before facing tougher tests.

This is only the third senior meeting between the nations. England won both previous friendlies 2-0 and 1-0 during a 1991 tour of New Zealand.

England complete their warm-ups against Costa Rica on June 10 before opening Group L against Croatia on June 11. The team will base themselves in Kansas City for the tournament.

The match is part of a busy June schedule following recent results against Uruguay and Japan. A strong performance in Tampa would provide ideal momentum heading into the World Cup.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​