England coach Tuchel expects players to suffer in World Cup heat

England coach Tuchel expects players to suffer in World Cup heat
England are top of qualifying Group K and almost certain to qualify for next year’s tournament where they will be among the favorites for the title. (AFP)
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Updated 03 June 2025

England coach Tuchel expects players to suffer in World Cup heat

England coach Tuchel expects players to suffer in World Cup heat
  • “It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon,” Tuchel said as he prepared his team for their World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona

LONDON: England coach Thomas Tuchel will attend FIFA’s Club World Cup starting this month to observe how players cope with the expected hot and humid weather conditions.
Next year’s World Cup, taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, could be one of the hottest in the tournament’s history.
“It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon,” Tuchel said as he prepared his team for their World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona.
“I will see that. How it looks, and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink. What our options are.”
England are top of qualifying Group K and almost certain to qualify for next year’s tournament where they will be among the favorites for the title.
But Tuchel says the conditions will be harsh.
“Let’s see because it is after the season, so it will be very similar. The actual experience is for the players, but I have done pre-season there in Orlando and I will be very surprised if we do not suffer,” he said.
“Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup.”
England are preparing for the Andorra game in the Spanish city of Girona and are using heat tents to test the players reaction and recovery to training in heat and humidity.
Sixteen stadiums will be used at next year’s World Cup with predictions of potentially extreme temperatures.
In Dallas, one of the host cities, in an average year more than 80 percent of June and July days exceed 28 degrees Celsius.
A study led by Brunel University found that, according to analysis of 20 years of weather data, 14 of the 16 host stadiums would top 28 degrees Celsius on a daily basis in June and July with four likely to hit 32 degrees in a hotter than summer.
FIFPRO, the world players union, recommends that if there is Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of between 28-32 degree, cooling breaks should take place around the 30th and 75th minutes.
It says that if there is a WBGT of more than 32 degrees, training and matches should be rescheduled.


Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
Updated 59 min 57 sec ago

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
  • Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear

BRUGES, Belgium: Barcelona fought back three times to snatch a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, equalising for the final time late in the game with an own goal from 20-year-old Belgium defender Joaquin Seys.
Barcelona are now 11th in the standings on seven points from four matches while Club Brugge sit 22nd on four points, with both teams still in the hunt for qualification.
In a thriller at Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium, the home side opened the scoring through Nicolo Tresoldi in the sixth minute, after a quick counter by Carlos Forbs that exposed the vulnerability of Barcelona’s high defense.
The 21-year-old jet-heeled Portuguese forward controlled a long ball in his stride to beat the offside trap up the right channel before bursting into the box and crossing low for Tresoldi to score with a tidy finish past the goalkeeper.
Barcelona hit right back with Ferran Torres from close range two minutes later but Brugge regained the lead in the 17th minute with Forbs scoring after another quick counter.
In an end-to-end encounter with both sides creating several chances, Jules Kounde struck the crossbar in the 27th minute as Barcelona tried to find the equalizer, while Ferran Torres missed from close range right before the break.

FRANTIC FINALE
Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny made a stunning save early in the second half when Seys entered the penalty box in a counter-attack and struck a bullet shot from close range that the veteran Polish keeper blocked away brilliantly.
Barca defender Eric Garcia almost scored in the 59th minute with a thunderous strike from long range that exploded off the crossbar but it was teenager Lamine Yamal who scored a brilliant individual goal one minute later to level the match again. However, it took Club Brugge only two minutes to get back the lead, with Forbs scoring from another counter-attack, beating Barcelona’s high defense again for the umpteenth time before chipping a tidy finish round Szczesny into the net.
Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear.
There was more drama as Brugge thought they had scored the winner in added time through Romeo Vermant, thanks to what looked to have been a massive blunder by Szczesny. But the VAR video review ruled out the goal as the forward fouled the keeper in his effort to recover the ball, helping Barca rescue a point.
“They have created a lot of danger on the counter-attack and we should have done much better everywhere,” a visibly frustrated Ferran Torres told Movistar Plus.
“It seemed like that with two passes they were already in our box. We have to find ways to improve. The team reacted well, we had a lot of chances. But when you’re behind... It’s tough.”