Harry Kane addresses major World Cup fear

Harry Kane insists that he isn’t concerned by the extreme hot weather in America and that the England players at the Club World Cup can only benefit from the experience, ahead of the World Cup next summer which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

‘I’m not concerned. It’s part and parcel of football. You have to be able to adapt. It’s a great experience for me and some of the other England guys who are playing this year and who will be playing next summer,’ Kane told Mail Sport. ‘There’s always something special about these World Cup games and next year will be the same. 

‘When you come off that pitch and you’re sweating and you’re dripping and you’re cramping and you’ve given everything out there, there’s a special feeling inside, especially when you win,’ he added.

Kane scored as Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors in Miami to confirm qualification for the knockouts, with Michael Olise getting a late winner for Vincent Kompany’s side after Miguel Merentiel had equalised for Boca.

Temperatures were around 30 degrees in Miami on Friday and a heatwave is expected next week, with Campaign group Fossil Free Football saying that 10 Club World Cup matches are due to be played in the next week with either a major or extreme heat risk, as temperatures could reach 41C.

But the England captain stressed that he and his team-mates will use this tournament as a learning curve, as they look to succeed next year under Thomas Tuchel.

‘We (the players) are not in touch with each other right now but it’s something we’ll talk about at upcoming camps – how we all adapted to it and what training methods we used,’ said Kane. 

‘All of this is good experience because it’s going to be tough next summer without a doubt. And we have to use our experiences as an advantage,’ the Bayern Munich striker added.

Tuchel was watching on in Miami and said last month that he expects his players to ‘suffer’ next summer. 

There have been warnings that temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used for the 2026 World Cup could exceed ‘potentially dangerous levels’ during the tournament.

‘It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon,’ said Tuchel. 

‘I will see that. And how it looks and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink and what our options are. I have done pre-season there in Orlando and I will be very surprised if we do not suffer. Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup,’ the England boss added.