Declan Rice turned up to England’s World Cup photoshoot bright red, and he was not shy about laughing at himself. He said his mum was “killing” him over the sunburn, which was visible on his head and arms. The joke is the easy part. The more useful line from Rice is that England are already having to adjust to 30C conditions before a ball is kicked.
Why the heat matters before kickoff
Rice put it plainly when he said the first day was tough because the heat “really does hit you in the face when you're running.” He added that England are used to “hot, cold, all different types of weather”, but Arlington is different. Temperatures there have hit 36C this week, and England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June.
That makes the acclimatisation work more than a routine training detail. Rice also said he knew he had adapted when “the sunburnt went”. It is a fairly blunt reminder that England’s build-up is being shaped by conditions as much as opponents.
Rice is not arriving short on confidence either. He scored England’s opening goal in a 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica in Orlando, and his recent club form for Arsenal has been solid. He also posted an 8.3 rating against Burnley and played 97 minutes in that game, with a 7.2 rating at West Ham as well. The football is in decent shape. The weather is the problem England have to keep managing.
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