England vs New Zealand: Kick-Off Time, How to Watch, Team News and Stats
Thomas Tuchel takes England to Tampa for their penultimate test before the 2026 World Cup. Here is the time, the channel, the probable XI and everything else worth knowing.
How to Watch England vs New Zealand
The friendly is live on ITV1 in the UK and on Prime Video in the United States. Local time in Tampa is 4:00pm ET, with kick-off landing at 8:00am Sunday in New Zealand.
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England
The Arsenal quartet of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke have been given time off to recover after the Champions League final on 31 May. That clears the way for Tuchel to look at fringe options, with Kobbie Mainoo and Elliot Anderson among those pushing for a midfield run-out.
Rio Ngumoha, Alex Scott, Josh King, Ethan Nwaneri and Jason Steele are all training with the group in Florida despite missing the final 26-man squad. They are along for camp duty, so none are expected to start, though Scott could see minutes off the bench here or against Costa Rica.
New Zealand
Darren Bazeley’s side arrive in poor shape after a 4-0 thrashing by Haiti on 2 June, a night that did at least see Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood become New Zealand’s most-capped men’s player. Ryan Thomas is out with a leg injury and Joe Bell is a doubt with the same issue. Wood is expected to lead the line.
Probable Lineups
England
4-2-3-1- Pickford (GK)
- Konsa
- Guehi
- Stones
- O’Reilly
- Henderson
- Mainoo
- Gordon
- Bellingham
- Rashford
- Kane
New Zealand
Squad unconfirmedBazeley has not confirmed a starting XI. Crocombe is likely in goal, with Wood leading the attack and Garbett, Stamenic and Surman among the midfield options. Thomas (out) and Bell (doubt) are sidelined.
The Talking Points
Will Tuchel keep experimenting?
The friendly tinkering, including Phil Foden as a false nine, is winding down now the tournament is close. With the Arsenal four absent there is still room for tweaks, and a Mainoo and Anderson midfield pairing is one to watch. Above all Tuchel wants a clean bounce-back from that 1-0 upset against Japan and some momentum heading into the group stage.
Shearer’s number 10 verdict
The race for the playmaking role is the subplot that will not go away. Alan Shearer has publicly backed Morgan Rogers to start ahead of Jude Bellingham, pointing to the Aston Villa man’s club form and fitness. It is a debate that runs right up to England’s opener.
New Zealand have a point to prove
This is only New Zealand’s third World Cup appearance and their first since 2010. They booked their place the direct route, winning the OFC playoff and scoring 29 goals across five qualifiers. Tougher tests now await, and against a side ranked 81 places above them they want to show they can compete with the world’s best far better than recent results suggest.
World Cup Group Stage
Form Guide
Three wins, one draw and one defeat in the last five. The recent run includes a 5-0 win in Latvia and a 2-0 win over Serbia in qualifying, before a 1-1 draw with Uruguay and that 1-0 loss to Japan. Nine scored, two conceded across the five.
One win and four defeats. The lone bright spot was a 4-1 win over Chile in March, followed by three straight losses. Ten conceded across the five matches.
Head to Head
These two have not met in 35 years. Their only previous fixtures came in June 1991, with England winning both, 2-0 and 1-0. History and the rankings point one way, but Tuchel will want the performance to match the result.
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Play Footy Forecast Free to play. Community join code: FF-VXR2B0Kick-off times and team news correct at time of writing and subject to late changes. This article contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission on qualifying sign-ups at no extra cost to you.