Musician Ed Sheeran performed a private concert for the England World Cup squad at their training facilities in Kansas City. The intimate performance featured some of Sheeran's well-known hits, including "Shape of You," "Bad Habits," and "Perfect."
Sources indicated that the team enjoyed the performance, singing along to the songs. The concert took place early this week, after England's 2-0 win against Panama. Sheeran, a known supporter of Ipswich Town Football Club, was reportedly driven to the team's hotel.
Sheeran shared images from the event on his Instagram account, writing, "Went to go sing for the England lads at their training camp. Have done this the last few tournaments and love it, they're very good blokes." He also posted a photo with England captain Harry Kane, adding the caption "In Harry Kane we trust."
This is not the first time Sheeran has performed for the team during a major tournament. He also played for the squad at their Euro 2024 base prior to their quarter-final match against Switzerland.
The singer is rumored to be attending the wedding of his friend Taylor Swift to Travis Kelce, which is reportedly scheduled for Friday.
An insider described the concert as part of the team's recovery session after the Panama game, noting that it was well-received. "They are big Ed Sheeran fans and he played all his big hit classics and they joined in with some as well, it was all part of the reward for winning the group," the source said. The insider also mentioned that Sheeran has performed for the team at previous tournaments and is always welcome, but did not attend any matches.
The report also noted that no partners or family members were present at the event; it was solely for the team.
England is scheduled to travel to Mexico City for their next World Cup match. Manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed concerns about the team having insufficient time to acclimatize to the high altitude in Mexico City, stating that the two days allocated may not be enough. The team plans to fly from their Kansas City camp and will land at a smaller airport in Toluca before a police-escorted journey to their hotel in Santa Fe. The Football Association aims to keep the hotel's exact location confidential to prevent disturbances, drawing a lesson from an incident involving the Ecuador team, whose preparations were disrupted by noise from local fans.
Separately, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has engaged in a public exchange with Mexican musician Fernando Olvera regarding the upcoming match. Gallagher initially predicted a 5-0 victory for England, which Olvera publicly questioned. Gallagher later clarified that he was joking and revised his prediction to a 3-0 win for England.