There have been some big feelings in recent days, feelings of consternation, even outrage, at England’s two Wembley performances. Change the players. Sack the manager. Delete England as a sporting entity. If Harry Kane isn’t fit, do they even bother going through the motions of drawing 1-1 with Croatia and muddling past Ghana, only to be knocked out in the last-16 by the first good team they run into?

At which point, perhaps it is worth taking stock for a moment. It is unlikely any of Thomas Tuchel’s starters against Uruguay will play a significant role at the World Cup. The line-up to face Japan was stronger but only a handful of those will start in North America. Six key players were missing. The football was drab and uninspiring, but none of this was entirely representative of who England will be in the summer.

The stark reality is that for several of England’s leading lights, this international break was just that, a break, from the rigours of club football which are more gruelling than ever. Tuchel called up 35 players, and almost an entire XI pulled out with injury.

“I see fatigue, clearly,” the England manager said after Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by Japan, referring to the players on the pitch and the wider squad. “This is not an excuse but just an explanation.”

In that sense, perhaps this international window did serve a purpose. About a dozen players went on holiday. Another batch took their first two-week break all season in order to give niggling injuries a chance. This was a rare and much-needed window to heal.

Declan Rice could have played, Tuchel suggested, but it wasn’t worth the risk. Jude Bellingham was the same. “[Rice] feels a discomfort since quite a while,” the manager explained. “He’s been playing through it [for Arsenal] and he’s just now on the edge where he thinks, ‘Does this make sense, what I’m doing here, to push through with 70 per cent and push myself and push myself?’”

Perhaps the dropouts did a disservice to representing England, to wearing the shirt, to putting on a show for 80,000 ticket holders at Wembley. But it points to the truth about where international friendlies are, in March, among the priorities for overworked players in title races and with Champions League quarter-finals afoot.

These results won’t dictate the future. England have disappointed in March before, only to come good in the summer. They lost to Brazil and drew with Belgium in 2024 before reaching the European Championship final. Even last year under Tuchel, England bounced back from a dispiriting defeat by Senegal in June with a perfect set of wins through September, October and November.

Tuchel defended his players and took responsibility for the poor displays. But he insisted his belief in achieving the bold goal he set for himself when he took the England job – “to put a second star on the shirt” – remains intact.

“We will not start doubting now. I knew before how complicated this camp can be because I know the level of fatigue that the players are in and the level of minutes that they’ve played.

“We tried to build a football team in three days against Uruguay,” Tuchel laughed. “And it did not look so bad even if it was for you guys and for the fans not the nicest watch. But I’m not so sure that you can play spectacular football against Uruguay or spectacular football against Japan, non-stop. Because it’s difficult. They are just good football teams.

“We also gave [key] players a break so that they come fresh [for Japan] and we can play, maybe, with actually the strongest squad. But it was absolutely not possible because we lost so many players throughout the camp.

“We will not let go of our dream, not let go of the question ‘Why not?’. Now the most important thing is that the players reintegrate with their clubs, have a good end to the season, and then we have them in pre-camp [for the World Cup] and prepare them properly.”

England will convene earlier than most teams in North America when they get together for the camp in Florida, which will feature warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica.

“They will get a week off, the guys who are not involved in the Champions League final, and then we will go very early to the US to prepare us for the heat and the humidity,” Tuchel explained. “We will have an early camp that allows us a good mix between free time and also family-friends time, and football, to arrive with excitement when the tournament starts.

“The season is a long, long season this year for the players, because some of them come from the Club World Cup, and it will not end in May. It will end, hopefully, in the middle of July.”

A perfect qualifying campaign has already been largely forgotten and these friendlies will soon be too. Perhaps Tuchel’s job this past week was simply to help his players survive until June, about recovery more than results. The task of building a coherent football team can wait. Shape and balance and relationships can be perfected in what will be a long summer. Fine-tuning a winning team can take a couple of games, as Argentina showed in 2022 when they lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia.

Fifteen months into the Tuchel project, his real task is only just beginning.

Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant with teammates (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)

Ex-India batter Abhinav Mukund has questioned the direction and team structure of Lucknow Super Giants after their defeat to Delhi Capitals, pointing to a lack of clarity in how the side is shaping up in IPL 2026. The criticism followed a convincing six-wicket win for Delhi, powered by Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 70 and his decisive 119-run partnership with Tristan Stubbs, which took the game away from LSG at the Ekana Stadium. Mukund admitted he remains unconvinced about Lucknow’s identity as a team, especially when compared to other relatively new franchises. “I’m very unsure about LSG. They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans, who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game (in 2026) but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. “They are top-heavy. They rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team,” he told ESPNCricinfo. He went on to highlight what he sees as a key difference between the two sides. While Gujarat Titans have established a clear approach built around their bowling strength and spin resources, Mukund believes Lucknow continue to lack a defined style of play. According to him, LSG’s performances often hinge on moments of individual brilliance rather than a structured system. “You expect performances from the top, you expect a sudden performance, like a Mark Wood sometimes comes up and picks up five wickets. You want those individual brilliant performances to drive your team. It’s always been the case for Lucknow.” Mukund also raised concerns over team balance and selection decisions in the match. “Even today, I felt the balance of the team was pretty off, seven batters and four bowlers. And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. “He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Ravi Bishnoi, which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match,” he noted. With LSG already facing questions after their opening defeat, Mukund’s remarks underline growing concerns around the team’s balance, selection clarity, and overall identity as the season begins.

We now know who, where and when England and Scotland will play this summer in the men’s football World Cup. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026 and is being hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, but both home teams will play their initial three group games at American venues.

England will take on Croatia in their opening game on 17 June in Dallas, followed by Ghana on 23 June in Boston and finally Panama on 27 June in New York.

For Scotland’s first men’s World Cup appearance in 28 years, the first two matches are both in Boston: against Haiti on 14 June and Morocco on 19 June. Boston is the closest venue to Scotland. Their final match of the group, against Brazil, is in Miami on 24 June.

With days to fill between games, it’s a big geographical puzzle. The answers to the key questions are here.

What do fans need to know before travelling to the World Cup?

It’s going to be hot – particularly for England’s first match against Croatia in Dallas, where the average daily high is 33C. For Scotland’s final group game against Brazil in Miami, expect 31C and high humidity.

It could be expensive: although there is evidence that international air fares are actually falling compared with summer 2025, domestic flight prices are soaring. Accommodation is also looking pricey: the cheapest hotel in downtown Dallas on the night of England’s first match is nearly £400.

And before you do any planning, sort out the red tape. Apply for an Esta permit, which costs $40 (£31) ahead of any financial commitment to travel arrangements.

While most are granted within a couple of days, Estas can be refused for all kinds of reasons – such as having a similar name to someone on a watchlist. If your application is turned down and you have to apply for a visa, the process will be slow and expensive. You will need to attend the US Embassy in London or Consulate in Belfast, and there is no guarantee of success. The wait time for an interview at either of the UK locations is six weeks.

How do transatlantic airfares look?

I am tracking the price of flights from the point of view of an England fan who takes the first non-stop departure from London Heathrow to Dallas-Fort Worth on 16 June, the eve of the opening game, and returns from New York JFK during the day after the last group match on 27 June. Before the locations were confirmed, the fare on American Airlines was £837. Within three hours, it had gone up by one-sixth to £993. While normally such fares would be expected to increase steadily, the price has remained unchanged in three months – indicating sales are sluggish.

London has by far the highest concentration of transatlantic flights, with Manchester and Edinburgh a long way behind.

Travelling via Continental Europe allows connections from many English and Scottish airports. From Newcastle to Dallas on 16 June, returning from New York on 27 June, costs £1,005 on KLM via Amsterdam (with an added transfer outbound at JFK to a Delta flight).

You can keep the cost down by connecting in Dublin; Ireland sadly failed to qualify for the World Cup. On those same dates, United has a flight from Dublin via Newark or Washington DC to Dallas-Fort Worth, returning nonstop from Newark, for £787. Ryanair has return flights from Birmingham to Dublin for £43, though these are not guaranteed connections.

Flying through Dublin has the added advantage of pre-clearing passengers through US border formalities before the transatlantic flight.

What about travel within the US?

Loads of US domestic flights serve Boston, Dallas, New York and Miami – England’s and Scotland’s match venues. But there will also be huge demand from fans, the media and the organisers – and it seems clear that fares are already rising.

OAG, a global provider of digital flight information, has analysed fares currently being charged for June and July 2026 and compared them with the same months last summer. Miami, which Scotland fans will need to reach from Boston, is at present 65 per cent more expensive for domestic flights than in 2025.

Boston and New York, where England and Scotland will play their other matches, are seeing rises of 36 per cent and 28 per cent respectively.

The cheapest flight from Boston to Miami the day after Scotland’s second game, against Morocco, is £164 – and involves a 6am departure. Some flights latter than day are priced at over £1,000.

Delaying the trip a few days and flying south the day before the last match against Brazil, you can pay just £85.

Can I take the train instead?

Yes, and there are some reasonable fares on Amtrak intercity trains. Between Boston and New York, venues for England’s second and third matches respectively, Amtrak “Northeast Regional” trains take about four hours 15 minutes. Fares are as low as $25 (£19). “Acela” branded trains are about 40 minutes faster but are business and first class only – with the cheapest ticket, for a journey of barely 200 miles, costing $226 (£171).

From Boston to Miami on the day after Scotland’s second game, the fare on Amtrak via Washington DC is $258 (£195).

Greyhound and FlixBus fares are surprisingly high – typically $75 (£57) for the four- to five-hour trip from Boston to New York.

How do I get match tickets?

At this stage, by throwing money at the problem. For the Scotland-Haiti match in Boston on 13 June, for example, Fifa is selling a match hospitality package including a good ticket plus access to the Pitchside Lounge for $3,900 (£2,954).

For more normal prices, the “Last Minute Sales Phase” began on 1 April through Fifa.com/tickets. This is the fourth and final official tranche of tickets, and will remain open until the end of the tournament. It is strictly first-come, first-served.

Fifa says: “Fans will be able to immediately see the matches and categories for which tickets are available, select specific seats, proceed with the purchase and receive confirmation once payment is completed.”

After you have waded through the security system, you can select “Display only available matches”. As of early April, these are entirely group matches, range from the Canada-Bosnia game in Toronto on 12 June (minimum US$1,645/£1,243) to the Democratic Congo-Uzbekistan fixture in Atlanta on 27 June ($380/£290).

Other routes to the stadium?

The secondary market is extremely active. Fifa has a resale portal, which could offer some decent value for less in-demand matches, involving teams with few travelling supporters and without large local communities with links to the nations. These include:

But most of the action is focused on the commercial resellers. Intermediaries are selling the cheapest tickets for England’s first match against Croatia for £840 – over four times face value.

The Foreign Office warns: “Only purchase tickets through the official Fifa ticketing platform.

“To enter the stadium, you will need an official ticket on the FIFA World Cup app. Printed copies or screenshots may not be accepted at stadium gates. Each ticket is linked to the purchaser’s details, and ID checks may be required upon entry.

“Tickets sold on unofficial resale websites, social media, or through third-party vendors may not be genuine. Fraudulent tickets can look legitimate but may be rejected at the stadium gate, leaving you without entry on match day.

“Some scammers sell the same ticket to multiple buyers or resell tickets that have already been voided by Fifa Ticketing.”

What about accommodation?

Unless you are lucky to have friends or family with spare beds near the venues, be prepared for some credit card shock – especially for the England match in New York.

On the night of 27 June, when England play Panama, hotel rates are already absurd. A typical budget hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in midtown Manhattan, is $591 (£448) for that night. And while it’s fun to stay at the YMCA in Manhattan, the price for a very basic single room with a shared bathroom is $337 (£255) on 27 June.

I would not book at those prices. You could head for one of the other New York City boroughs – my standby is the Best Western out at Coney Island, with good Subway connections. Last summer I paid £120. On the “England night” it’s £212.

Are there any alternatives for a cheaper bed?

Yes: be patient. I have seen the standard pattern for big sporting events and it goes like this: hotels and other accommodation providers think this is the best get-rich-quick scheme in history. They set their rates high, especially for games involving teams with many travelling fans, such as Brazil, Germany and England.

Yet because many “normal” business and leisure guests will be avoiding in World Cup host cities, there is likely to be plenty to go around – with prices falling in the weeks before the tournament.

Also, with rates high, increasingly more people will be tempted to put their place on platforms like Airbnb and escape on vacation for the duration. That should put downward pressure on prices.

There’s a lot of time to fill between the games…

Fans should treat the trip as a holiday with some football attached. Boston is a fine city that is well worth 48 hours of exploration, with much to see elsewhere in Massachusetts – from billionaires’ row on Cape Cod to the city of Lowell, a mill town regarded as the cradle of America’s industrial revolution. It’s also where Jack Kerouac, author of On The Road, grew up.

Talking of road trips, England fans travelling from Dallas to Boston, as well as Scotland fans going from Boston to Miami, have excellent opportunities for adventurous journeys between the matches. Check out these two custom-built itineraries.

From Dallas, you can meander through the music state of Tennessee, stopping in Memphis and Nashville, then following the line of the Appalachian mountains. Hertz has a five-day rental for a Chevrolet Malibu (or similar), picking up at Dallas-Fort Worth airport on 18 June and dropping off in downtown Boston, for £758.

For Scotland fans: south from Boston, the I-95 runs all the way to Miami via New York and Washington DC, with Savannah and the Kennedy Space Center top tourist spots right next to the freeway – but you can take your pick of diversions, including a day at the theme parks of Orlando.

Read more: Simon Calder answers your questions on American airspace, Australia fares and travel to Cyprus

Former India batter Abhinav Mukund questioned Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) decision to leave out spinner Digvesh Rathi from the playing XI for their opening IPL 2026 match against Delhi Capitals (DC). Admitting that the leg-spinner has not been in good form lately, Mukund opined that LSG ought to have shown better faith in the bowler who made a big impact last season.

Rathi (26) was LSG’s leading wicket-taker in their debut season last year. In 13 matches, he claimed 14 wickets at an average of 30.64 and an economy rate of 8.25. He also grabbed eyeballs with his ‘signature’ celebration after claiming a wicket. LSG, however, took a big call and left out Rathi for Wednesday’s match. They went in with four pacers and brought in Shahbaz Ahmed as the Impact Sub.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Mukund was extremely critical of LSG‘s selection choices. Sharing his thoughts on the same, he added:

“I felt the balance of the team was pretty off – seven batters and four bowlers. And then you had to sacrifice your find of last season. I know he may not have followed that up with an excellent domestic season. He’s not been amongst the wickets. He’s not had a great domestic season but that doesn’t mean – you’ve released Bishnoi which means you’ve had your faith in Digvesh Rathi and said ‘okay, you are my number one spinner and you don’t play him the first match.”

Defending a total of 141, LSG’s pacers impressed as Prince Yadav claimed two wickets, while Mohammad Shami and Mohsin Khan chipped in with one each. Sameer Rizvi’s unbeaten 70 off 47 balls, however, guided DC to victory after a shaky start, which saw them slip to 26-4.

“There is no identity within the team” – Abhinav Mukund on LSG’s woes

During the same discussion, Mukund claimed that LSG are yet to establish their identity as a team. Comparing the franchise with Gujarat Titans (GT), who made their IPL debut along with the Lucknow franchise in 2022, the 36-year-old stated that while GT have developed a style of their own, the same cannot be said of LSG. He elaborated:

“I’m very unsure about LSG. They are a very young side in the IPL. So are Gujarat Titans, who are slowly building an identity towards who they are. They might have lost their first game [in 2026] but you know what Gujarat Titans will come up with on a certain day. They are top heavy and rely on their bowlers. They rely on their experience in the middle in terms of their spinners. With Lucknow, you always feel like there is no identity within the team.”

LSG’s second match in IPL 2026 will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday, April 5. This will be a day game and will start at 3:30pm IST.