Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has turned down TV work at the World Cup in order to "keep out of the way," but says the team is "ready to win."
Southgate led England to a World Cup semifinal and quarterfinal and back-to-back European Championship finals before ending his successful reign after Euro 2024.
The 48-team tournament in North America will be the first time since 1994 that Southgate has not been at a World Cup, but he did not want his presence to make life more difficult for the players.
"This is obviously a very different tournament for me this one, I have been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, as a scout and then as a manager," he said in a video posted on Instagram.
"This time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn't think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team.
"I don't want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them in press conferences. So, best for me to keep out of the way.
- O'Reilly on England WC opener: 'Time to dominate'
- Key issues for England at 2026 World Cup: Fatigue, fitness and do Gordon, Stones start?
"I want to take a moment to say good luck to all the boys. All the knockout nights they've had means they are going to be full of confidence going into the tournament.
"They have overcome so many hurdles to winning, penalty shootouts, semifinals, we got so close and they are ready to win. I am looking forward to watching.
"I hope everybody has a great one and I will be staying out of the way."
England will get their World Cup campaign underway on June 17, when they face Croatia. They will also face Panama and Ghana in Group L.
