Tuchel calms concern around Kane's fitness
England head coach Thomas Tuchel insisted there is no reason to be concerned about Harry Kane's fitness at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kane is set to lead England for the second time at the competition, having also done so in the 2022 edition, when it reached the quarter-finals.
The striker played 51 games for Bayern Munich in 2025-2026 and scored 61 goals across all competitions for the German champion, the most of any player in the top five European leagues.
Ahead of its warm-up game against New Zealand, Tuchel insisted Kane would be on the pitch as long as necessary at the FIFA World Cup.
"Harry is a key player, there is no doubt," he said. "Of course, we take care of him, but we also want him on the pitch.
"Ideally, we can take some minutes off him, but if the matches are close, do we really do this? Do we take our main goalscorer, our captain, off? Maybe not.
"The most important thing is the shape Harry is in. He's in top shape, he is ready to go.
"He was the leading player who set the intensity in training, on a defensive training day. He's used to high pressing, high intensity in the opponent's half with Bayern Munich.
"We don't have to be worried about him at all, even if it's hot and humid. He's shown the whole week he is ready, determined, he was so influential in Bayern's campaign, he scored three in the cup final.
"We have some good options, but Harry is the main guy up front."
England starts its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on 18 June (AEST) against Croatia, before also facing Ghana and Panama in the group stage.
