Reece James and England's World Cup Journey

Reece James has been here before. The travel, the hotels, the endless meetings and recovery sessions that stretch a tournament into something closer to a long-haul expedition. But this World Cup feels different.

Three years ago, James and England lived in a bubble at Wembley, six of seven Euro 2021 games played under the same arch, on the same pitch, with the same walk from dressing room to tunnel. Familiarity wrapped the campaign like a comfort blanket.

Now the England captain is chasing a title on the other side of the Atlantic, in a World Cup sprawled across the USA, Canada and Mexico, a competition stretched in both geography and time after its expansion to 48 teams. The distances are longer. So is the wait between defining moments.

You can hear that reality in the way James talks about the days in between.

“There’s lots of activities and down-time, stuff you can do when you’re out, just to try to refresh and stay motivated for such a long period away,” he explained, aware that the mental test is every bit as sharp as the physical one.

This is his second major tournament with the senior England side, a sign of how quickly he has grown from Cobham prospect to national leader. He is not alone, either. Alongside him in the squad is another Chelsea Academy graduate, Trevoh Chalobah, drafted in late by Thomas Tuchel after Tino Livramento – himself a product of the same youth system – suffered injury.

It is a neat snapshot of modern England: a core shaped in west London, now carrying a country’s expectations in North America.

If the schedule is demanding, the backdrop has been anything but hostile. Stadiums across the continent have turned red and white, and James knows exactly what that means to the dressing room.

“The support is huge,” the Blues skipper said. “Sometimes that plays as the 12th man in difficult games. The support means everything to the players. Families and friends travelling all over the world to watch their loved ones play.”

That line cuts to the heart of this World Cup for England’s players. They are not just crossing time zones; their families are, too. Parents, partners, children, old school friends – all trading routine for red-eye flights and unfamiliar cities, just to be there when the anthem plays.

The noise has already driven England through their first test. A 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L fixture underlined both their attacking threat and their vulnerability, a reminder that this team can dazzle and wobble in the same 90 minutes. The scoreline looked comfortable. The game was anything but.

Now comes a different kind of examination.

Tonight, in Boston, the Three Lions face Ghana at 9pm UK time, a clash that carries a very clear edge. Win, and England tighten their grip on the group. Slip, and the calm start to this campaign suddenly looks fragile.

For James, the equation is simple. Keep the squad fresh in the long stretches between games. Lean on the routines, the down-time, the small moments that break up the monotony of a month on the road. Then step into the roar and let the 12th man do its work.

Another night, another city, another test of how far this England side – and their Chelsea captain – can go when the world is watching.