England manager frets over Raymond James pitch prior to World Cup friendly

Field Level Media|published: Fri 5th June, 20:17 2026

June 5, 2026; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.; England manager Thomas Tuchel during the press conference ahead of their international friendly against New Zealand. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay is renowned as the NFL field that has its sod replaced more frequently than any other.

But after its most recent resodding, the field's surface looks more like stitched-together slabs than a seamless lawn - and that does not thrill England manager Thomas Tuchel as his team prepares to play a friendly against New Zealand on Saturday afternoon in Tampa.

"I just saw a photo that made me a little bit worried and concerned," Tuchel said Friday from England's camp in West Palm Beach, Fla. "But let's decide when we are there.

"If there are any issues, we can always react to it. We have a greenkeeper who takes care of it and I hope it will be all right. It is an American football pitch. I can see that. Hopefully it will be fine. We are told it is OK."

New Zealand conducted a workout recently at Raymond James, which appears a bit brown around the edges of each sod roll. Yahoo! Sports reported that team manager Darren Bazeley declared, "I think it will be fine once it gets a bit of water on it."

Tuchel plans to minimize his players' exposure to the pitch by changing his entire lineup at halftime. England has another friendly on Wednesday against Costa Rica in Orlando - the final tuneup before its World Cup opener on June 17 against Croatia in Arlington, Texas.

--Field Level Media

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