THE HEAT IS ON

England face dramatic rise in temperature for Cup opener

ENGLAND’S footballers could be forced to cope with a dramatic rise in temperature when they transfer from their World Cup training base to Volgograd for their opening game.

Gareth Southgate’s squad today head to Repino, close to the Finnish border, with the temperature expected to be as low as 15°C for their first training session tomorrow.

But they then travel more than 1,000 miles south to Volgograd for their first group game against Tunisia on Monday with the mercury expected to rise as high as 33°C there by the end of this week.

A more southerly training base in Sochi had been considered by the FA but Southgate thought it too hot when he visited the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Instead, the England manager opted for Repino after a pre-tournament buildup at St George’s Park. And while the

ENGLAND Under 21 boss Aidy Boothroyd has been rewarded for his team’s victory in the Toulon tournament with a seat on the plane to Russia.

Boothroyd has been added to the England party at the last minute to allow him to observe a major tournament at close quarters with the senior team. He will not be part of manager Gareth Southgate’s official backroom staff during the tournament and will not be sitting in the dug-out at matches. But his presence over there does give Southgate another trusted FA insider to consult.

Boothroyd has a close relationship with technical director Dan Ashworth, who appointed Boothroyd to the England Under 21 role after he had looked after the Under 19s and Under 20s.

Boothroyd’s presence inside the camp will position him as a potential successor to Southgate if the FA want to keep continuity. And that resembles a remarkable career recovery for Boothroyd, who, after being recognised as a smart young manager at Watford from 2005-08, sank to the ignominy of being sacked by Northampton in 2013 when they were rock bottom of the Football League.

England World Cup party that leaves Birmingham today will number 58 personnel compared to the bloated 90-plus whom the FA sent to Brazil four years go. Even though the 58 will grow, when added to the FA staff already in Repino preparing for England’s arrival, it will still be a lot less than the legions sent to Brazil. NO one needs a good World Cup more than FIFA, who have been tarnished almost beyond repair since the last global tournament in Brazil.

Yet the omens are not good, judging by the business-as-usual shenanigans surrounding the 2026 World Cup vote at the FIFA congress in Moscow tomorrow. These include South American confederation CONMEBOL — which has a history of corrupt activity — refusing to allow 2026 bidders Morocco to present to them in Moscow ahead of the ballot, but opening the door to the rival joint USA/Canada/Mexico bid yesterday. FIFA have also passed the buck to the congress to decide whether USA territories Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico can have a vote when so obviously conflicted.

Even the official Zurich promise of a mixed zone — with all FIFA councillors making themselves available for media interview — did not materialise after Sunday’s council summit. Only FIFA president Gianni Infantino (above) made a brief appearance. At that meeting there was talk of legal action from Qatar, USA and Australia over Infantino’s proposal — already seemingly dead in the water — for a 48-team World Cup in 2022 when the bid process was for a 32-team event. l WITH the joint bid of USA/Canada/Mexico receiving a far superior 2026 World Cup inspection report than Morocco in every aspect — apart from the food, which sadly wasn’t one of the categories — it’s no surprise that England, along with most of the rest of UEFA, will be supporting the North American bid in tomorrow’s congress vote.