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Thomas Tuchel has officially announced that Declan Rice will serve as England’s vice-captain for the upcoming World Cup. The Arsenal midfielder has joined the Three Lions’ training camp in Florida as preparations begin for the tournament to be held in North America.

Tuchel confirms Rice as deputy to Kane

Tuchel has decided to appoint Rice as his second-in-command for the World Cup, giving the Arsenal star a crucial leadership responsibility behind captain Harry Kane. Rice arrived at England’s training base in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday evening, accompanied by Arsenal team-mates Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze, shortly after the rest of the squad secured a 1-0 win over New Zealand in a friendly played in Tampa.

The midfielder’s promotion to this role follows a stellar season in which he played a key part in Arsenal’s Premier League title win. Despite a demanding campaign that included a run to the Champions League final, Tuchel believes Rice’s personality, leadership, and top-level experience make him indispensable for England’s success this summer. Speaking after the New Zealand match, Tuchel made his stance clear, saying, “I think I would say Declan is my vice-captain.”

Uncertainty over whether Rice has been officially told

Although Tuchel confirmed the decision publicly, there seems to be some ambiguity over whether Rice himself has been formally informed of his new role. When asked if the former West Ham skipper was aware of being named vice-captain, the German coach admitted that no formal conversation had taken place yet. Rice has previously worn the armband, notably during a friendly against Wales last October when Kane was unavailable.

“That is a good question,” Tuchel replied with a smile. “I was just thinking about it, whether it is officially done or not. But I believe we had a chat when Harry wasn’t in camp with us. We started with Ollie (Watkins), and I think Declan was captain. That’s when I told him.”

Managing Arsenal’s returning players

Rice and his fellow Arsenal teammates began training with the rest of the squad on Sunday, but Tuchel is being careful with their workload before the next warm-up game. England will take on Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday, and while Tuchel plans to increase the training intensity, he remains undecided about starting the recently arrived players.

“I am not sure about that. Let’s see how they respond,” Tuchel said when asked about their availability. “They came back on Saturday, we have three training sessions, so we’ll see. We’ll increase the minutes because it’s part of the build-up, and then we’ll have around six days before Croatia. Some players will need to play 60 or 70 minutes.”

Final preparations before facing Croatia

To ensure all players are match-fit, England have scheduled an additional behind-closed-doors match against Miami FC after the Costa Rica game. This friendly will help balance playing time for those who might feature less in Orlando, ensuring the entire squad is ready for their Group L opener against Croatia on June 17.

“We have another game behind closed doors to manage everyone’s minutes,” Tuchel explained. “For example, if someone plays 70 minutes against Costa Rica and another only 20, that’s not enough, so those who play fewer minutes will get more time the next day.” After the Croatia clash in Kansas City, England will continue their group stage campaign against Ghana and Panama.