England land in the US with five absentees before World Cup warm-up against New Zealand

England will be one of the last teams to make their debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving them additional time to prepare. With that in mind, and just days away from facing New Zealand in a friendly, the team arrived in the United States without five members of its squad.

The Three Lions landed in America on Monday and held their first training session Tuesday in West Palm Beach, where they will be based during their pre-tournament preparations before eventually relocating to Kansas City. However, the players who participated in last week’s European club finals did not travel with Thomas Tuchel.

After losing the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League title on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal’s players were granted additional rest before joining the squad in the United States. They are Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka.

Dean Henderson is in the same situation. The 29-year-old goalkeeper, one of the three shot-stoppers selected by Tuchel alongside Jordan Pickford and James Trafford, played in last Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final, where Crystal Palace defeated Rayo Vallecano 1-0.

England’s next steps

With permission to join the squad a few days later than their teammates, it remains to be seen whether Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Dean Henderson will be available for Saturday’s friendly against New Zealand at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

If not, they are expected to be available for England’s second and final tune-up match before the World Cup, scheduled for June 10 against Costa Rica. In the meantime, to ensure normal training sessions, the head coach has called up a small group of young players to complement the squad. They are Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, Ethan Nwaneri and Jason Steele.

Once the friendlies are complete, The Three Lions will turn their attention to their World Cup opener. England will face Croatia on June 17 in Dallas in what promises to be one of the most attractive matchups of the tournament’s group stage. The remaining Group L matches against Ghana and Panama will follow.