England footballers prank head coach Tuchel with fake shoulder injury
After their World Cup round of 16 win against Mexico, England players played a prank on head coach Thomas Tuchel by pretending John Stones had a shoulder injury.
The England football team's dressing room was filled with laughter after their 2026 World Cup round of 16 victory over Mexico. Defender John Stones, accompanied by music, pointed to pain in his right shoulder, which his teammate Declan Rice also noticed. Head coach Thomas Tuchel saw this and initially believed that Stones might have been injured. However, it turned out to be a prank – Stones had not sustained any injury during the match. As the music reached its climax, Stones raised his supposedly sore arm to make the atmosphere even more amusing and thoroughly prank the coach. Tuchel took the joke in stride.
The prank likely occurred because several England players had already suffered injuries during the tournament. Reece James was injured at the start of the tournament, while Jed Spence and Jarell Quansah faced health issues. Jordan Henderson, after slipping behind advertising boards, seriously injured his wrist, which ended his participation in the tournament.
England has advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Norway on the night of Sunday, July 12.
