England to Play 2 Friendlies In Miami This June

England will play Ecuador and Honduras in Miami in early June in two friendlies to help prepare for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

England was originally supposed to play a friendly against the United States in Boston or Washington DC in June, but due to England’s opening match against Manaus, the national team will need to arrive in Brazil earlier than expected to better prepare for the heat and humidity.

Both of the England friendlies in Miami will be played at Sun Life Stadium, which has seen record-breaking attendances recently including:

* 67,273 that watched Real Madrid against Chelsea in the 2013 International Champions Cup Final.

* 57,748 who watched the Chelsea-AC Milan friendly during the summer of 2012 (largest attendance of the World Football Challenge)

* 70,080 who watched Barcelona-Chivas Guadalajara in 2011

* 51,615 who turned out for the friendly between Colombia and Mexico in 2012, and

* 48,327 attendance for the 2012 World Soccer Masters game.

In addition to England preparing for the 2014 World Cup, both Ecuador and Honduras will be playing in the tournament too. As a side note, both Ecuador and Honduras play in the same group in World Cup 2014.

For England, who are in a World Cup group featuring Italy, Costa Rica and Uruguay, the matches against Ecuador and Honduras will provide England with a suitable test to come up against similar teams, to adjust their tactics and gain experience before the World Cup kicks off in Brazil.

Editor’s note: For more England coverage including news, analysis and opinions, visit the England national team page.