2026 World Cup: England coach Thomas Tuchel wears cooling hood to beat the heat
June 21, 2026 · TaegeukGoal
England coach Thomas Tuchel uses a cooling hood and palm cooling device to beat the heat during training in Kansas City.
While the England players trained under the hot Kansas City sun, manager Thomas Tuchel took a very different approach to keeping himself cool. Tuchel was spotted wearing a hat and hoodie, in contrast to Deklan Rice and other players on the team who were wearing vests. The England national team is using special sun protection hoods to combat the hot weather at their training ground, Swoop Football Village. The English Football Association did a lot of research in preparation for the tournament and took into account the weather the teams would face. Tuchel was part of the delegation that attended last summer's Club World Cup and planned to lead England to World Cup victory.
England players are also using palm cooling devices in the US to cope with high temperatures, and research suggests at least a third of matches during the World Cup will be played in temperatures above 26 degrees Celsius. Some players are also wearing cooling vests. Tuchel led the training session wearing the cap of his sun protection top, while England's other coaches - Anthony Barry, Nicolas Maier and Justin Cochran - were also wearing the same sun protection technique during this session. The players are preparing for the next group match against Ghana.
A description of a similar top online says it 'protects the skin by blocking strong ultraviolet rays, and keeps the skin cool and dry.' Tuchel trained after the game between the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis Cardinals. Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was the only player absent as he followed an individual program indoors to manage an Achilles injury. Tuchel said Saka would not play until the final group match against Panama in New Jersey on June 27.