Reece James ready for World Cup debut

England’s Reece James is ready to make his FIFA World Cup debut for the Three Lions this summer, having missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.

The Chelsea defender, who played for Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel during his spell at Stamford Bridge, was ruled out four years ago through injury but is now gearing up for his first taste of a World Cup in North America.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad have been preparing for the tournament at a preparation camp in Florida for the best part of two weeks, as well as playing warm-up games with New Zealand and Costa Rica.

And as they prepare to switch to their World Cup base in Kansas City this weekend, James has been reflecting on his untimely bad luck in the past.

“Timing is everything, as you said, I've missed a few major tournaments,” he admitted.

“I’ve tried to be ready and be as well prepared as possible for this one, and I'll give my country my all.

“I had an amazing time with the manager together at Chelsea and I’m happy he's the boss. I’m glad to work with him.

“For sure, that’s why we’re here [to win the World Cup]. We didn’t come to just take part, and as we speak, we're on the mountain, still climbing.

“There's still room to go for sure and it’s good the fans are in good spirits, but the tournament is yet to start for us so we have a long way to go.”

James already has big-tournament experience in North America to fall back on, having been part of the Chelsea squad who lifted the FIFA Club World Cup last summer.

So it came as no surprise to him when the match against Costa Rica in Orlando last week was delayed due to a storm, and after that experience, he says the squad are ready should anything like that happen again in the tournament itself.

“We had a few delays last year, it’s something that both teams have to have to deal with,” he revealed.

“We just have to prepare the best we can for what comes our way. Embracing it is part of that.

“As I said, it's the same for both teams. It's not just for us, and we're preparing the best we can.”

The best place to stay close to the England squad in North America this summer is via the official England app, where we'll have all the latest news from camp and exclusive videos before anywhere else. Make sure you downloiad the app, via Apple Store or Google Play, and register now.