England stars gave a clear warning before their World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand, while Thomas Tuchel faces a tricky choice.
An expert has given England’s players some friendly advice: avoid using sleeping pills before World Cup games because they can be harmful.
The England team starts their World Cup preparations on June 6, with a warm-up match against New Zealand at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Then, they’ll play Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium, also in Florida, on June 10.
Their World Cup matches will take them across different time zones. The first game is against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on June 17. Then, they face Ghana at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on June 23 and finish the group stage versus Panama at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 27. The team will stay at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City while in the US.
Kansas and Texas are on Central Daylight Time (CDT), while Massachusetts and New Jersey run an hour ahead on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Coming from the UK, where it’s British Summer Time (BST), means the players have had to adjust to time differences—BST is six hours ahead of CDT and five hours ahead of EDT.
Sleep expert James Wilson shared his thoughts with The Sun, saying he hopes the players won’t turn to sleeping pills to handle the jet lag and time changes. He explained, “Sleeping pills don’t help you get true restful sleep — they just sedate you. They aren’t good for recovery, which is super important in football. Plus, they can be addictive, which makes them a bad choice as a first option. Four hours of normal sleep after a game is better than eight hours with sleeping pills.”
Some players have spoken openly about their struggles with sleeping pills before. Former England star Dele Alli talked about his own addiction during a 2023 interview, saying it’s a bigger issue in football than many realize. He shared, “I abused sleeping tablets a lot and didn’t always understand how serious it was. Sometimes I’d take them just to escape, even during the day when I wasn’t playing. It was a tough time.”
Overall, the advice is clear: getting natural rest is the best way for England’s players to stay sharp and ready during the World Cup.