Declan Rice named England vice‑captain by Thomas Tuchel

Declan Rice has been named England vice‑captain by manager Thomas Tuchel, sitting behind Harry Kane in the leadership hierarchy. Tuchel said Rice is part of his core group for the World Cup and recalled that he had already discussed the vice‑captain role when Harry Kane was absent, noting that Ollie Watkins had captained the side with Rice as deputy. Arsenal’s four England internationals – Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke – have now arrived at the training base in West Palm Beach, completing the squad ahead of the final pre‑World Cup friendly against Costa Rica. England secured a 1‑0 win over New Zealand in the opening warm‑up, and Tuchel indicated he is still weighing how much the Arsenal players will feature against Costa Rica. The World Cup group stage begins with England versus Croatia on 17 June, followed by matches with Ghana on 23 June and Panama on 27 June; Saka and Rice are expected to start, while Madueke and Eze are likely rotation options. Photo by Alex Pantling, Ryan Pierse and Richard Pelham.