England and New Zealand met in an international friendly at Raymond James Stadium, giving Thomas Tuchel's side a final opportunity to fine-tune preparations ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

England's recent form

England arrived at this fixture carrying mixed recent results. Their last outing ended in a 1-0 home defeat to Japan on 31 March 2026, following a 1-1 draw with Uruguay four days earlier. Prior to those results, England had been in strong form during FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group K, winning three consecutive matches — a 5-0 away victory over Latvia, a 2-0 home win against Serbia, and a 2-0 away success over Albania.

New Zealand's recent form

New Zealand came into this match in poor form. Their most recent result was a heavy 4-0 defeat away to Haiti on 3 June 2026. Before that, they had recorded a promising 4-1 home win over Chile on 30 March, but that positive result was sandwiched between losses — a 2-0 home defeat to Finland and back-to-back away defeats to Ecuador and Colombia, both ending 2-0 and 2-1 respectively.

The bigger picture

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 fast approaching, this fixture represented a key final test for England, who host their group-stage matches on American soil. Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, is among the tournament's host venues, adding extra significance to the occasion.

New Zealand, meanwhile, face a steep challenge to make an impact on the global stage after a turbulent run of results in the build-up to the tournament.