England’s Thomas Tuchel say he may keep substitutes indoors during World Cup 2026 to avoid heat

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed he may keep his substitutes indoors during next summer’s World Cup due to the risk posed by extreme heat.

A recent report from Pitches in Peril found that 10 of the 16 venues at the tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are at “very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress conditions”.

At last summer’s Club World Cup in the U.S., some coaches kept their substitutes indoors to remain cool, and Tuchel says he is considering doing the same at the finals.

“If this is what helps us later in matches when they come on, we have to consider it a possibility,” he told the BBC.

“Nobody likes it because I want the players to be out there to feel the energy and give us energy from the bench on to the field. But I saw players doing this at the Club World Cup. Hopefully we can avoid it. It’s always better when they can be with us outside.”

Tuchel added that the conditions at the tournament would inevitably “reduce the intensity” of matches and said England were putting “a lot of effort” into countering the effects of the heat.

The German has previously said that he would prefer later kick-off times at the World Cup to “protect the game” even if it makes the matches harder to watch on television in Europe.

Talks are ongoing about the precise schedule for next summer’s tournament ahead of Friday’s draw in Washington D.C. Day-time kick-offs would be preferable for European TV viewers, but would have to be played at temperatures that would be difficult for players.

England will be one of the top seeds for the draw, and therefore unable to face any of France, Spain or Argentina before the semi-finals – should all four teams win their respective groups.

Tuchel’s side qualified at a canter, winning all eight matches, while scoring 22 times without conceding.