Declan Rice has found a lighter side to England’s World Cup heat problem: his mum was not impressed when he turned up to a photoshoot looking sunburnt. The midfielder said he was “bright red” in the pre-tournament snaps and added that his mother gave him “a telling off” after fans spotted his beetroot face and even joked about his watch strap tan line.
It is the sort of detail that lands because the weather is becoming part of England’s build-up. Rice said he and his teammates are still getting used to the temperatures in the United States, where conditions have already climbed to 36C in Arlington, Texas this week, and where England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June. Several days before the tournament begins on Thursday, players from all 48 nations have travelled early to adapt to the heat across the US, Mexico and Canada.
Rice said he could tell he was starting to acclimatise only “when the sunburn went”, but the first day still hit him hard. “Honestly, the first day was tough, just getting used to that heat,” he said, describing how England’s usual mix of weather back home offers no real preparation for days that sit around 30C and hit players “in the face” as they run. It was the kind of blunt assessment that underlines why the World Cup in North America is shaping up as a physical test as much as a football one.
England have tried to get ahead of it. Their preparation has included training in heated tents in Spain and in sweltering conditions in Kansas, while Fifa has brought in drinks breaks at the midway point of each half for every game to help players cope. Even so, Thomas Tuchel has already said he expects his players to “suffer” in the conditions, and Wednesday’s warm-up against Costa Rica in Dallas was delayed by thunderstorms, a reminder that the weather may be just as disruptive as it is oppressive.
For Rice, the immediate question is less about tan lines than endurance. England now have a few more days to adjust before they face Croatia in Arlington, and the sense around the camp is clear: the heat is not a backdrop to this World Cup, it is one of the contest’s defining conditions.
