England boss Thomas Tuchel ditched the traditional team photocall, and instead a low-key departure saw his team climb the steps of the chartered Virgin flight one by one at Birmingham Airport16:39, 01 Jun 2026Updated 16:40, 01 Jun 2026England's boys in blue jetted off to the World Cup today carrying the hopes of a nation. Boss Thomas Tuchel ditched the traditional team photocall on the steps of the plane. nInstead, the low-key departure saw his stars get on board the chartered Virgin flight one by one as they left Birmingham Airport.‌They were dressed in their official £200 Three Lions tracksuits as the bid to end 60 years of hurt began in earnest. Twenty of England’s 26-man squad were led by Captain Harry Kane, who is hoping to be the first Englishman to raise the famous Jules Rimet trophy since Bobby Moore in 1966.‌They are due to land in 35C (95F) heat in Florida, to spend 12 days in the Sunshine State before moving on to their tournament base camp in Kansas City.‌Tuchel faces his toughest test yet, spanning three countries and four different time zones. He advised some players - including Barcelona star Marcus Rashford, seen working out in a gym in Miami - to travel ahead of the team to get acclimatised in the US.He plans to build team spirit, including watching their World Cup rivals on a giant TV screen at the 54-room, £260-a-night The Inn at Meadowbrook Hotel in Kansas City.‌There will also be PS5 Pros and Xboxes with plans for Murder mystery and Traitors games. Bayern Munich striker Kane walked across the airport tarmac with a rucksack as he prepared for the eight-and-a-half hour flight.Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson, 23, whose brother Wil, 25, was in the 2024 edition of Love Island, was not far behind. Man City's John Stones, 32, James Trafford, 23, and Newcastle Utd's Tino Livramento, 23, boarded one-by-one.‌The jet took off at 11.20am and is expected to touch down at the busy Palm Beach International Airport at 7.26pm UK time (2.26pm local time). Around 12,000 to 15,000 fans will be at each of the three group games. England are among bookmakers’ favourites to finally scoop a second World Cup.They have pre-tournament friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica, which have some of the cheapest tickets available to fans this summer. Marcus Rashford, who spent the season on loan at Barcelona from manchester-united-fc>Manchester United, is already in Miami and has been keeping himself in top shape with the help of David Beckham’s Inter Miami.‌In an Instagram post featuring seven photos of himself training, the 28-year-old simply added: “PREPARED!” He has taken advantage of the top-of-the-range sports facilities at the MLS club’s Nu Stadium, which Lionel Messi also uses.Tuchel is determined his side will be prepared for the conditions, getting expert advice from British Olympic stars. He said: “I can’t wait to get on the plane, look over my shoulder, finally have a team behind me and arrive in Florida and do what I love the most, which is be a coach.“We are not used to being in this kind of heat and humidity, and even altitude if we play in Mexico. There will be a lot of challenges in this World Cup. The heat is one of them, but we are prepared already.‌"We’ve had help from Team GB and specialists all over the world to develop solutions that help the players to adapt. We know exactly how much time we want to expose them in pre-camp, the ideal amount of time to train in the sun and how to avoid overdoing it."England’s warm-up games will be played in Tampa in 34C heat, though some rain showers are possible.‌The June 10 friendly with Costa Rica could feel like 40C, requiring ice vests and cooling tents to prevent serious injury or exhaustion. The players' wives and girlfriends will visit the team HQ in Kansas City. Bukayo Saka’s fiancée, Tolami Benson, Jude Bellingham’s partner Ashlyn Castro, and Ollie Watkins’ wife, Ellie, are all expected to join. Arsenal stars Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Declan Rice, as well as Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson, will join the team at the end of the week.Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, Fulham star Josh King, Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal teen Ethan Nwaneri will help England’s squad at their preparation camp. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele, 35, will also join training.Article continues belowIn a team meeting, shown during the first episode of a Football Association documentary, Tuchel showed his players a chart titled Mount Everest Summit and explained it with a rousing speech, saying: “I want to arrive here at the top, with the toughest group in the world. “When we arrive on the plane and land, we will already know that this will be a great camp and this will be a team no one wants to play against. And they will feel it in the mixed zone, they will feel it in the tunnel, they will smell it.”The World Cup kicks off on June 11, when hosts Mexico take on South Africa in Mexico City. England play their first game against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.