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Experience the World Cup 2026
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England's 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations began in earnest on Saturday as they faced New Zealand in their first of two warm-up friendlies.
The Three Lions claimed a 1-0 win over lowest-ranked nation at the tournament in Tampa as Thomas Tuchel fielded two different XIs in each half to give his players a good run-out.
Harry Kane's goal settled a contest that was little more than a training exercise for all concerned, with both sets of players keen to avoid injury risk. Still, some of England's back-up options arguably did not make the most of a chance to impress the head coach.
They will now face Costa Rica in another friendly next Wednesday in Orlando, their last before they open their Group L campaign against Croatia on June 17.
The Sporting News brings you player ratings for the match.
MORE: Toney in but defence a worry — Inside England's World Cup squad
England vs. New Zealand score
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fl)
England starting lineup:
First half (4-2-3-1, right to left): Pickford (GK) — Quansah, Guehi, Stones, Spence — Mainoo, Henderson — Watkins, Rogers, Rashford — Kane
Second half (4-2-3-1, right to left): Trafford (GK) — James, Konsa, Burn, Livramento — Anderson, O'Reilly — Ngumoha, Bellingham, Gordon — Toney
England player ratings vs. New Zealand
Tuchel chose to field two different XIs, with a new lineup in each half. The Arsenal contingent of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke were not involved as they were given extra time off following the Champions League final, so the likes of Rio Ngumoha — who is not in the World Cup squad — were part of the group for this game.
First half
GK — Jordan Pickford: 6/10
Had one clearance with his right foot under pressure but was otherwise a spectator.
RB — Jarell Quansah: 5/10
The Bayer Leverkusen man left his flank exposed for the one counter opportunity New Zealand created in the first half. He was otherwise okay.
RCB — Marc Guehi: 6/10
Had a routine job shackling Chris Wood, who was horribly isolated in attack for New Zealand.
LCB — John Stones: 6/10
Good in possession without ever being tested defensively.
LB — Djed Spence: 6/10
Playing in a mask due to his jaw injury, the Tottenham Hotspur man overlapped Rashford well. His end product was found wanting until he curled a fine cross towards the six-yard box for Kane to head in.
DCM — Kobbie Mainoo: 5/10
New Zealand's midfield dropped into a low block, allowing Mainoo lots of time to dictate play. He did not really knit much together in attack, and he fired wide when presented with a half-chance on the edge of the box.
DCM — Jordan Henderson: 6/10
Showed a good passing range without ever being stretched defensively.
MORE: A thin midfield leaves USMNT dangerously exposed in 2026 World Cup journey
RW — Ollie Watkins: 6/10
Played out of position due to absentees, Watkins did a decent job down the right. Once promising run almost set up Rashford for a tap-in.
ACM — Morgan Rogers: 5/10
The most anonymous of England's starting attackers, but given the sheer amount he played for Aston Villa this season, perhaps it's no surprise he was holding something back.
LW — Marcus Rashford: 6/10
Probably the brightest of England's forwards, Rashford should have done better with a shot from the edge of the box. He was lively throughout the half, though, perhaps knowing there is a place up for grabs on the left against Croatia.
ST — Harry Kane: 6/10
Very little involvement until a clever glancing header put England ahead just before halftime.
Second half
GK — James Trafford: 6/10
A mere onlooker throughout the second half.
RB — Reece James: 6/10
Limited impact going forward until injury time, when he played a fine cross to Ivan Toney, although the striker was offside anyway.
RCB — Ezri Konsa: 6/10
Had next to nothing to do against a non-existent New Zealand attack.
LCB — Dan Burn: 6/10
Made a menace of himself at a couple of attacking set-pieces.
LB — Tino Livramento: 6/10
Efficient enough down the left wing, but the Newcastle United man did not have the same impact on play as Spence.
DCM — Elliot Anderson: 5/10
Busy in the middle as expected, but he mostly played in second gear. He could arguably have made more of an opportunity to get involved in attacking play.
DCM — Nico O'Reilly: 6/10
Partnered Anderson in midfield and did nothing really of note, although he didn't make any mistakes, either.
MORE: A thin midfield leaves USMNT dangerously exposed in 2026 World Cup journey
RW — Rio Ngumoha: 7/10
The most exciting player to watch in what was essentially a training exercise. The Liverpool teenager is not part of the World Cup squad, which, on this evidence, is a shame.
ACM — Jude Bellingham: 6/10
The Real Madrid man, who has had his differences with Tuchel in the past, played like someone eager to show he is ready to graft this summer. Fashioned a decent shooting chance, which he missed.
LW — Anthony Gordon: 6/10
A handful of decent runs but produced very little in the final third. Another who looked to be holding back and preserving energy.
ST — Ivan Toney: 6/10
.Linked play quite well and thought he had won a penalty before the offside flag went up. He was happy to see it raised in the closing moments after he wasted a James cross.
Head coach
A fairly insipid performance in the first half against a team thrashed 4-0 by Haiti last week will not instil a huge amount of confidence in the squad players Tuchel has selected.
Joe Wright
Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News, overseeing global soccer and multisport. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform news service, covering major global sports news, data analytics, features and video content. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.
Source: Sporting News
