Following a meeting with the Prince of Wales on Monday evening at St. George’s Park, Gareth Southgate and his England players took off for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Tuesday morning.
On Monday night, Prince William gave England’s top players their World Cup squad numbers and gave the Three Lions a brief message: “The majority of the nation is in behind of you. Everyone here is rooting for you. Embrace it!”
The team of Gareth Southgate gathered at St. George’s Park on Monday before taking off for Qatar on Tuesday morning to begin their journey to the World Cup in the Middle East. Their first match is against Iran on Monday.
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As he and his staff disclosed to the players their squad numbers for the finals, England manager Southgate addressed his team and urged them to achieve history. The Prince of Wales, the FA’s president, also spoke briefly while helping to award the players with keepsakes.
Prince William addressing England’s stars on Monday night Despite entering the World Cup in poor form—having gone six games without a victory and being kicked out of the Nations League—the team is determined to make a strong comeback.
The players that wore numbers one through twelve at Euro 2020, where England lost to Italy in the championship game at Wembley on penalties, have received the same numbers from Southgate. Harry Kane, the team’s captain, wears number nine once more, and Jordan Pickford wears number one.
Like they did for the European Championships the previous year, Kalvin Phillips, Conor Coady, Mason Mount, and Phil Foden are also wearing the numbers 14, 16, 19, and 20, respectively.
Prince William and Harry Kane at St. George’s Park Leicester midfielder James Maddison appeared to allay any lingering concerns about his fitness by being given the No. 25 shirt after being substituted during his team’s 2-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday due to a knee complaint.
ITV was the first to report that the Three Lions took a plane named “Rain Bow” on their Tuesday morning flight to Qatar. The hosts criticize the nation’s discriminatory laws and policies toward LGBT+ people.
One of the national captains who want to take part in the ‘OneLove’ campaign to combat discrimination throughout the competition is Harry Kane of England.
“We show our support for inclusivity in many ways, including wearing the One Love Armband during the tournament,” a Football Association spokeswoman said.
It is acknowledged that the FA did not select the aircraft but is content to fly on it. The airline operating the chartered flight is Virgin Atlantic, which has no business ties to the FA.