Bellingham must fight for England starting spot as World Cup nears

Bellingham not a guaranteed starter

Thomas Tuchel has made it clear: Jude Bellingham must fight for his place. The England boss says "roles can change at any time" and currently sees 14 or 15 possible starters, with Bellingham just one of them (1) (7). Bellingham came off the bench against New Zealand on Saturday and wore the captain's armband, impressing in his cameo – but Morgan Rogers is also in the mix for that midfield spot (1).

England beat New Zealand 1–0

A narrow win in the penultimate warm-up friendly, decided by a single goal. Harry Kane led the line and 17-year-old Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha made his senior debut, walking away with Player of the Match honours (5). Bayern Munich are reportedly circling Ngumoha, but Liverpool are expected to resist any approach (5).

Costa Rica up next on Wednesday

One final tune-up before the real thing. England face Costa Rica in their last friendly on Wednesday, then it's straight into World Cup Group L (1) (2). The opener against Croatia arrives on 17 June. The full fixture list, kick-off times and TV details are now confirmed (3).

Kane enters World Cup as Ballon d'Or contender

Your captain arrives in form that has people talking. A Bayern Munich insider called him "the best we've had" after a season capped with a DFB-Pokal hat-trick (4). Kane himself has brushed off concerns about the heat in the US, insisting the squad's preparation is robust enough.

Security concerns around Kansas City base

England's World Cup accommodation is in Kansas City, and there is reported unease within the camp about gun violence in the area. German outlet n-tv describes "Angst geht um" – fear is circulating – around the team's quarters (6).