Will Tuchel speak for nation over Trump's World Cup?

Questions coming as US president tears up the old world order

- 

An ugly trade war between the USA and Canada and Mexico, which edged closer to a reality at the start of the week, was presumably not the backdrop Fifa had in mind when the three countries were awarded joint-custody of the 2026 World Cup.

A lot will have changed by next year but it is difficult to imagine the tournament possessing the spirit of merry co-operation usually underpinning shared finals, given Donald Trump's treatment of the US's neighbours — including threats to make Canada into the 51st state. Still, at least Fifa has ample practice at looking the other way after the 2018 finals in Vladimir Putin's Russia and 2022 edition in Qatar.

As the Trump White House rips up the old world order in relation to Ukraine, Thomas Tuchel should not be especially high on the list of those deserving sympathy. Nonetheless, as the new England boss prepares to take his first camp, the geopolitical upheaval under way has made Tuchel's role far harder.