Men's Senior
England head coach Thomas Tuchel speaks to the media ahead of their game with Costa Rica
Thomas Tuchel has discussed Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka after the Arsenal duo joined England men’s FIFA World Cup 2026 squad
Declan Rice has officially been named England’s vice captain by Thomas Tuchel after another brilliant season with Arsenal which ended with a Premier League trophy.
Tuchel confirmed the decision to make Rice the vice skipper ahead of England’s friendly against Costa Rica on Wednesday, as the Three Lions continue to build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“We have the leadership group of five or six players, if you want to call them captains without the armband,” Tuchel explained in his press conference on Tuesday.
“Declan is one of them and Harry [Kane] is one of them. These are the two guys with the armband. Harry is our captain, there is no doubt about that and Declan is our second captain.
“When Harry was not in camp and didn’t play against Wales, we had the choice and it was a very quick one, and very obvious one, to give it to Declan.
“He’s on the highest football IQ, he takes care about formation, he takes care about our structure and the adaptation.
Rice trains ahead of friendly against Costa Rica
Rice trains ahead of friendly against Costa Rica
Saka trains after joining up with the England squad
Saka trains after joining up with the England squad