England to play Nigeria, Costa Rica in World Cup warm-ups

Posted January 10, 2018 6:00 am

The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - England will prepare for the World Cup with friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica before flying to Russia.

Gareth Southgate's side will play Nigeria at Wembley Stadium on June 2 and head to northern England to take on Costa Rica five days later.

Southgate says a 0-0 draw against Brazil in a November friendly "acted as a reminder that we need to challenge ourselves in different ways as a team."

England opens its World Cup campaign on June 18 against Tunisia in Volgograd and also plays Panama and Belgium in the group stage.

Southgate says "we want to expose the team to different styles and different experiences."

England has friendlies in March at Wembley against two teams that failed to qualify for the World Cup: the Netherlands and Italy.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.