Chelsea captain Reece James is set to be England's starting right-back at this summer's World Cup finals under former Blues boss Thomas Tuchel
11:00, 01 Jun 2026Updated 11:05, 01 Jun 2026
Reece James is looking to make up for lost time
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Reece James is looking to make up for lost time
Reece James admits he has been waiting four years to put his World Cup heartbreak behind him. And the Chelsea star insists he cannot wait to fulfil his dream of trying to help England conquer the world.
James was left devastated back in 2022 after being left out of the squad for the tournament in Qatar. The full back had suffered a serious knee injury two months before the finals, and despite returning to full training, was deemed too big a risk by then England boss Gareth Southgate.
A heartbroken James was forced to watch his team-mates on TV at home instead, with England reaching the quarter finals. Now James will finally get the chance to help England go further, as part of Thomas Tuchel's squad which has jetted to North America to complete their final preparations ahead of the big kick off.
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James, who will be taking part in his first World Cup, said: "It's been on my mind since 2022, to be honest. Because I missed out on (Qatar) and my dream is to play in the World Cup, to lift the World Cup and to help my country.
"Ever since then, I've had my eyes on this one - and I've tried to do everything I can to work towards it."
James helped Chelsea win the Club World Cup in the United States last summer. He admits it made him think of what could happen 12 months later at the World Cup - and that nothing compares to winning if you're a top level footballer.
He added: "I thought about it a lot. The climate conditions, the pitch. It's difficult to go over there in the middle of summer, especially when we play in England where the weather's not so perky.
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"So to get used to the conditions a year before (meant) I can take a lot going forward. Not much replicates that feeling (of winning).
"This is what I've done for 20-odd years. It was always my dream to play football at the highest level, to play for Chelsea and England for as long as I can. So I'm living my dream every day."