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Kobbie Mainoo confident England can win World Cup
03rd June, 2026 12:13 PM
England ace Kobbie Mainoo has expressed confidence in England’s chances of winning the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Manchester United youngster spoke during England’s first day of training as the Three Lions begin World Cup preparations in Florida on Tuesday, May 2, 2026, ahead of the summer games.
A confident Mainoo, however, would take small wins to build the confidence needed to get the team to the next stages and get the mission accomplished.
Building
“England can 100% win it. I feel that everyone in the squad believes that, but that does not come easy; it comes after the first game and the second game and building towards it, and that is what we have to focus on,” he explained.
His sentiments come after the majority of the England squad arrived in the United States ahead of the tournament, which begins on Thursday, June 11, though five players, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka among them, will join later this week.
Also Read: Top football stars set to miss the 2026 World Cup
Mainoo, who made his national team debut in 2024, is among the several youngsters named for their World Cup debuts alongside Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson.
“You know, it’s very different to anything I’ve played in, but hopefully over the next couple of weeks leading into the tournament you can really feel easy and feel at home.” He added.
The squad also has experienced players in Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane and others to provide the needed balance.
Acclimatising to the conditions in US
Henderson, who is set to play in his seventh major tournament, while reflecting on the team’s preparation, stressed the importance of England’s players coping with the temperatures in the US ahead of the tournament.
“You just build your capacity to withstand these conditions,” said the Brentford midfielder, as quoted by the BBC
“Hopefully that can give us a little edge as well when we get into the tournament, but it’s the same for everyone, so we’ve just got to go and try to just concentrate on the football.”
England’s opening Group L game against Croatia takes place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
They then face Ghana on Tuesday June 23, 2026, in Massachusetts and Panama on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
