There’s a chance that England players will not shake hands with one of their opponents at the 2026 World Cup finals.

Thomas Tuchel’s England players are currently being put through their paces with warm-weather training sessions in Florida, USA, in preparation for the showpiece international tournament, which gets underway on June 11.

England face two warm-up games against New Zealand (June 6) and Costa Rica (June 10) before their World Cup Group L opener against Croatia on June 17.

The Three Lions, who reached the Euro 2024 final and are among the favourites to win this summer’s World Cup with their star-studded 26-man squad, will also face Ghana (June 23) and Panama (June 27) in the group stages.

FA Considering How England Players Confront Partey Handshake

Pre-match handshakes between opposing players are customary before top-level matches, including World Cup fixtures.

However, the Football Association (FA) are reportedly set to consider how England players confront the possibility of facing Ghana’s Thomas Partey for a pre-match handshake on June 23, according to The Times.

The FA declined to comment when asked if England players will be consulted on the matter. The Times’ chief sports correspondent Matt Lawton adds: “[The FA] will be only too aware that two of the four Arsenal players in the squad – Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka – are former team-mates of Partey. Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze joined Arsenal after Partey left the club on June 30 last year when his contract expired.”

Partey has been named in Ghana’s 26-man squad despite being charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025. The former Arsenal midfielder, who now plays for Spanish side Villarreal, was charged with two new counts of rape in February 2026.

Partey, 32, has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Ghana Defend Partey World Cup Call-Up

“Thomas is our vice-captain,” Ghana FA president Kurt Okraku told BBC Sport. “He is one of the top midfielders in the world and we stand by him shoulder to shoulder.”

Partey was booed by Welsh fans during Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw between Wales and Ghana.

Asked about his decision to pick the midfielder for the match in Cardiff, Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz said: “It’s a simple and basic answer. As far as I know, in England, in Portugal, whatever, until the court makes a decision, that the presumption of innocence is on the side of all court cases.

“But today, and this is not only about Thomas, very unfortunately the way the social media and the media sometimes act with full and total impunity, we are condemned even before we have the opportunity to defend. So let the events run this normal course. Let the river flow and one day when the river meets the ocean, we’re going to find the truth.”

Queiroz, Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant manager at Manchester United, also hit out at the media after Wales fans booed Partey on Tuesday evening.

Ghana begin their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 18 before facing England and Croatia (June 27).

With the 2025/26 season domestic now over, it’s time to turn attention to the World Cup. Not only will that tournament reveal the greatest footballing nation on the planet, but it will also give a big indication as to who is the best individual in the game right now.

Indeed, the race for the Ballon d’Or is heating up, and current holder Ousmane Dembele helped his chances of securing back-to-back awards after winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain. That said, he’s not quite been in blistering form at all moments this season, and an indifferent World Cup could open up the chance for someone else to claim the prize.

On that front, England forward Harry Kane has to be among the favourites. The Bayern Munich star certainly seems to think so, although he has named one other man as a strong rival in 2026.

Kane Backs Himself for 2026 Ballon d’Or

In an interview with L’Equipe, via ESPN, the 32-year-old said that he’s ‘among the favourites’ for the 2026 Ballon d’Or after enjoying a fine season in Germany. It’s hard to argue with Kane on that front. After all, he has won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, while managing 61 goals and seven assists in 51 games. He explained:

That is a big ‘if’ though, as England have not won the World Cup since 1966. That said, with Kane as captain, they’ve made the finals of the last two European Championships and will feel confident of going deep into the tournament this summer.

Kane did, however, accept there were others who could challenge him for the Ballon d’Or in 2026. Without naming names, he referenced players in the Champions League final, presumably meaning Demebele, Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of PSG – and possibly even Arsenal and England’s Declan Rice.

He then specially named Michael Olise as another contender:

Olise has been in scintillating form at Bayern as well in 2025/26, bagging 31 assists and a further 22 goals in 52 club games. Interestingly enough, former Bayern teammate Thomas Muller has also named Kane and Olise as two front-runners for the award, although he suggested the Frenchman is more likely to win it due to his ‘artistic’ style. He explained:

“As far as the Ballon d’Or is concerned, the ‘artistic element’ is taken into account. Generally, I see Harry as the more important player — but when it comes to the vote for the World’s Best Player, it’s more for players like Michael, with this dance-like, artistic, ease, magic quality, you can’t learn that.”

With the ceremony to be held in London for the first time ever, on 26 October 2026, it certainly would be a suitable location for Kane or Olise to scoop the award – as both men were born in the English capital.

Ederson, who is poised to become Manchester United’s first summer signing, could be handed a rare squad number that only eight players have worn before at Old Trafford.

United have agreed to pay Italian side Atalanta an initial €40.5 million for the 26-year-old, who has been capped three times by the Brazil national team. Ederson will sign a four-year deal with the Red Devils once he’s completed a medical. The Athletic’s David Ornstein claims the deal is set to be finalised in early July.

Ederson is not part of Brazil’s 26-man World Cup squad after failing to make the cut, despite being named on Carlo Ancelotti’s long list of 55 players.

South American football expert Tim Vickery has compared Ederson to Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, writing for BBC Sport: “Ederson would seem to have plenty to add to United, who are looking to bolster their midfield options.

“His Brazilian compatriot Casemiro is leaving the Red Devils – and Manuel Ugarte could follow. Ederson offers more on the ball than the Uruguayan and is more dynamic around the field.

“He is a midfielder in the mould of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes. After three splendid seasons in Italy with Atalanta, Ederson would seem overdue for a move – and may blame his final season in Serie A for missing out on the World Cup.”

Ederson to be Denied ‘Dream’ Man Utd Shirt Number

Ederson is set to be denied his ‘dream’ shirt number once he completes his move to Man Utd, according to the Mirror.

The report highlights how Ederson currently wears No. 13 for Atalanta, but that number is occupied at Old Trafford by the versatile Patrick Dorgu.

Ederson previously wore the No. 15 shirt with Brazilian sides Corinthians and Cruzeiro, but that number is also taken at the Theatre of Dreams. French defender Leny Yoro was assigned 15 as his squad number following his move from Lille in 2024.

While 14 and 17 are currently vacant, Ederson could instead choose to wear 40 – the number he began his playing career with.

Nobody has managed to make the No. 40 shirt their own at Old Trafford. A host of talented youngsters who failed to make the grade at United have previously donned the squad number including Daniel Nardiello, Jonathan Spector, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Adam Eckersley.

Since then, the number 40 shirt has been exclusively worn by reserve goalkeepers. Ben Amos was first before Joel Pereira took it, followed by Matej Kovar. Former Czech Republic international Radek Vítek, who spent last season on loan at Championship side Bristol City, occupied No. 40 most recently.

Ederson could be hoping to buck the trend by becoming Manchester United’s first-ever star player wearing No. 40.