England captain Harry Kane predicted the heat “won’t be a factor” thanks to his team’s World Cup training regimen.
Ranked No. 4 in the world, England will open the tournament against Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, Texas.
The Three Lions will play a final tune-up against Costa Rica on Wednesday in Orlando, Fla.
“To be honest, I don’t think the heat’s been too bad,” Kane told reporters after a 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand on Saturday in Tampa, Fla.
The 32-year-old striker scored the lone goal Saturday with a header in first-half stoppage time. It was Kane’s 67th goal of the year for club and country.
Temperatures in Tampa were in the 90s.
“Obviously, we’ve been getting used to it in training. After the first couple of days, I felt like most of the lads were used to it,” he said. “Today actually didn’t feel terrible out there, so I think there’s a talking point that might get over spoke about, to be honest.
“We’re all professional athletes. We all have done the right preparation to get ready for this tournament between us and the staff as well. We have another 10 days or so until that first game, training in this environment, so I think come the tournament, it won’t be a factor.”
Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, is England’s all-time leader with 79 goals in 113 appearances since 2015.
England’s other matches in Group L are against Ghana on June 23 in Foxborough, Mass., and against Panama on June 27 in East Rutherford, N.J.
–Field Level Media
