Thomas Tuchel says England have the belief and energy to finally lift the World Cup again after 60 years. England enter the tournament with strong form from qualifying, and Tuchel thinks the performances and squad mood show a team ready to challenge seriously.

England won all eight qualifiers, scored freely and did not let in a single goal. No other UEFA side completed qualifying without conceding, and England’s 2.1 expected goals against was also the lowest defensive figure among European teams, underlining their control across the campaign.

Before the World Cup starts, England meet New Zealand and Costa Rica in warm-up games. The fixtures lead into their opening World Cup match against Croatia on June 17. In Group L, England will also play Ghana and Panama, shaping a varied challenge in the first phase.

This tournament will be England’s 17th World Cup appearance and their eighth in a row, which is their longest unbroken sequence. Tuchel will also make history, becoming only the third non-English coach to manage England at a World Cup after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel explained that his confidence grew further during recent work with the group. When I reconnected with the games and built our training sessions and meetings to reconnect the team in Florida with what we have built already, I saw a lot of quality, Tuchel told Sky Sports News.