Overview
- Thomas Tuchel named a final 26‑man World Cup squad that left out high‑profile players such as Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander‑Arnold, prompting public scrutiny of the choices.
- Jordan Henderson has defended those selections and said his role is to support the group and be ready to perform whether he starts or not.
- England are training in West Palm Beach in temperatures around 33°C and have emphasised cooling and recovery work to help players adapt to North American conditions.
- The squad will play warm‑up friendlies against New Zealand in Tampa and Costa Rica in Orlando before opening the tournament against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.
- Henderson’s veteran presence — including six major tournaments and 89 caps — is being positioned to steady younger players and reinforce cohesion during the tournament build‑up.