England vs New Zealand LIVE commentary: Date, UK kick-off time, team news and how to follow World Cup warm-up

Jun 4, 2026 - 09:15

England play their first of two World Cup warm-up games this weekend against New Zealand, live on talkSPORT.

The Three Lions have arrived in the United States ahead of the World Cup getting underway next week.

Thomas Tuchel, Head Coach of England, arrives at Belgrove Hotel West Palm Beach ahead of international friendlies and FIFA World Cup 2026 — Thomas Tuchel has made some bold selection choices

Thomas Tuchel‘s squad selection has proven to be controversial, but the road to World Cup glory starts now.

England are one of the favourites to become champions of the world in North America, but there are plenty of other good teams.

One of the main obstacles for the Three Lions will be the heat and humidity, which is why they are based in Miami to help acclimatise.

Their first group game against Croatia takes place in Dallas on Wednesday, June 17, and that will also be live on talkSPORT.

And these warm-up games should give us an idea about how Tuchel intends to line-up for the opening match.

England vs New Zealand: Date and how to follow

This World Cup warm-up match will take place on Saturday, June 6.

It is taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida and kick-off is set for 9pm UK time.

talkSPORT will have live coverage of the match, with Adrian Durham serving as your host.

Commentary will then come from Jim Proudfoot and England icon Stuart Pearce.

To tune in to talkSPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

talkSPORT.com will also have a live blog to take you through the action.

England captain Harry Kane — Harry Kane is one of most in-form players on the planet right now

England vs New Zealand: Team news

Of the 26-man squad picked by Tuchel, five will be unavailable for this match.

Due to their excursions in Europe, the four Arsenal players and Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson have been given extra time off before joining the squad.

Henderson was part of the Palace side that claimed the Conference League at the end of May, while Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke all missed out on the Champions League trophy.

Arsenal lost 4-3 to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties to deny the Gunners an historic double after winning the Premier League.

In defence, John Stones, Tino Livramento and Reece James all had very few minutes between them near the end of the season due to injuries, so their fitness will need to be monitored.

Elsewhere, you would expect every member of the squad to get the chance to stake a claim.

England have also flown some extra players out for training before the five absentees return, but it’s unclear if they’ll participate or not.

For New Zealand, Chris Wood will likely lead the line after a strong end to the season for Nottingham Forest.

England squad for New Zealand

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford

Defenders: Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, Tino Livramento, Reece James, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah

Midfielders: Kobbie Mainoo, Elliot Anderson, Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers

Forwards: Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford for England. — Games like these give the chance for Rashford etc to stake a place in the starting XI

England World Cup fixtures

Pre-tournament friendlies

June 6 – England v New Zealand – Raymond James Stadium – 9pm
June 10 – England v Costa Rica – Inter&Co Stadium – 9pm

Group Stages

June 17 – England vs Croatia – AT&T Stadium – 9pm
June 23 – England vs Ghana – Gillette Stadium – 9pm
June 27 – Panama vs England – MetLife Stadium – 10pm

England’s potential route to the final

Round of 32: England vs Norway – July 1
Round of 16: England vs Mexico – July 5
Quarter-finals – England vs Brazil – July 11
Semi-finals: England vs Argentina – July 15
Final: England vs Spain or France – July 19

England vs New Zealand: What has been said?

After selecting his England squad, Tuchel explained what the idea behind it was.

He said: “We build our way through the tournament with meetings and training already, the first 10 days are planned out.

“It takes a while, we don’t make it easy on ourselves, we go through a lot of scenarios…I love the tough decisions.

“It’s hard to please, in the end we have to pick the squad that me and staff are convinced, that we love.

“If there are doubts, you don’t play at the same level, so it comes down to who we trust, who will deliver for us?

“Who set the standards? Who was the leadership group?

“It’s about the energy, connection and trust with me and the players.

“It’s about the team and the chemistry, it’s so obvious that teams win the trophies…we have a Champions League final with two teams who are ready to drop egos.”

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