Declan Rice did not need long in Orlando to learn that England's World Cup build-up is going to be about more than football. After scoring in a 3-0 win over Costa Rica on Wednesday, he said the heat was already a problem, and the sun had left him so red that his mother was not impressed by the photos.
Rice played 63 minutes and struck England's opener in the ninth minute, but the conditions were impossible to miss. Temperatures went above 30 degrees celsius, the match was delayed by an hour because of heavy rain and thunderstorms, and the midfielder said the squad were being asked to adapt quickly because this tournament will demand it. For readers tracking the england world cup build-up, this was a test run in the kind of weather England expect to meet again.
Rice joined the camp on Sunday after extra time off following the Champions League final on 30 May, along with Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze. All four missed England's friendly against New Zealand, but Rice said the first days in Florida were already teaching them how different the United States will feel from home. He said the moment he stepped outside the hotel, it was bright sunshine, and even a nap felt like an exercise in finding out what was happening with the weather.
That is the problem England cannot ignore. Rice said the manager had made the squad fully aware that the tournament may bring stop-start games, with the possibility of players being forced off if thunder and lightning move in during a match. It is a warning that sits well beyond one hot evening in Orlando. England will open against Croatia in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday before facing Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 23 and Panama at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 27.
The heat, the delays and the sunburn photo are small details on their own. Together, they show why England's work in Florida matters now: this World Cup is being prepared for as much as it is being played, and Rice already looks like one of the players who will have to manage it best.
