England players had 36 hours off in KC; here’s how some spent the World Cup break
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- England coach Thomas Tuchel gave the players some time off in Kansas City.
- Players visited the Inn at Meadowbrook pool, Legoland, Sea Life aquarium, and Joe’s.
- Some players visited Oakwood Country Club to golf and later strolled in Meadowbrook Park.
England’s team plane touched down in Kansas City early Monday morning following a tough World Cup match, and weary players headed to their hotel in Prairie Village.
For the final 40 minutes of their 3-2 win over Mexico in a Round-of-16 match in Mexico City, England was down a man following a red card and furiously defended the team’s one-goal lead.
Forward Morgan Rogers acknowledged Wednesday that the players were exhausted.
“Of course you could see it,” Rogers said. “Everyone was given everything, obviously, with down to 10 men, everyone playing for an extra person and giving their role, and a few players have obviously played a lot of minutes this season, a lot of minutes in the tournament, and just resting the legs.
“But I’m sure, everyone will be fit and ready to go. It’s another opportunity in a couple of days to go again, and we’ll be ready for that.”
England players recharged their batteries by spending time to get out and about in Kansas City. The Times reported that after arriving back in KC, where the “Three Lions” have their base camp, coach Thomas Tuchel gave the players free time that lasted until 11 p.m. Tuesday, a roughly 36-hour break.
Here is how some of the players spent it.
Hit the pool
Team England is staying at the Inn at Meadowbrook, which has a pool. And the players took advantage of it. Is there a more iconic summertime activity than going to a swimming pool?
It helps that there is a pool at the Inn at Meadowbrook.
Legoland and BBQ
Ellie Watkins, who is married to England forward Ollie Watkins, shared photos of the family’s outing in Kansas City on her Instagram story.
They stopped at the Legoland Discovery Center at Crown Center, the Sea Life aquarium and went to Joe’s Kansas City for a barbecue meal. There appears to have been a stop at the Country Club Plaza as well.
Biking around
Instagram user only.muss bumped into Tuchel, who was out riding a bicycle in Prairie Village.
Hitting the links?
The England players are known for their love of golf, and they apparently found a course they love in Kansas City.
The Oakwood Country Club has shared Instagram posts of England players at the course. Although these are older, perhaps a few team members went golfing, too.
On one of those previous outings, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes stopped to say hello.
A simple stroll
That only.muss fan on Instagram also bumped into a few of the players who went for a stroll at the Meadowbrook Park near where the team is staying
This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 9:18 AM.
