©picture alliance / ipa-agency | Emmanuele Mastrodonato/IPA Sport
At a soccer tournament where you’re away from home for weeks on end, team spirit is highly important. The English national soccer team has found a few games that strengthen the bond between the players without making them break a sweat. Is this the winning formula for going far in the World Cup?
For the English team, it’s not just about football—it’s also about games. During the World Cup, the players use their free time to get to know each other better, and they do so with card games such as SkyJo, Wolf, and Imposter.
What is SkyJo?
SkyJo is a card game where the goal is to accumulate as few points as possible. Players draw and trade cards until someone exceeds 100 points; then the player with the lowest score wins.
Morgan Rogers told BBC Sport that Jude Bellingham introduced the game to the English team and that several teammates have since become “addicted” to it. He’s played it with Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon, and Elliot Anderson, among others —and he even won the game.
Team spirit
The England players have been at their base camp in Kansas City for two weeks now and, if they reach the final, could stay there for weeks to come. That’s why the coaching staff and head coach Thomas Tuchel believe it’s important for the group to have fun off the training field and develop a sense of camaraderie.
In addition to card games, the coaching staff also organizes extra activities. For example, Tuchel and a few players attended a Sporting KC game, and Harry Kane and Dan Burn also went to a concert by country singer Ella Langley.
New games
Wolf was already popular in the English team, but this tournament has seen the addition of SkyJo and Imposter. In Imposter, almost everyone receives the same secret word via an app, except for one player; the rest must guess who doesn’t know it.
According to midfielder Jordan Henderson, all of this helps bring the group closer together. Morgan Rogers has noticed this as well, even though he’s competing with Bellingham for the number 10 position on the field.
©picture alliance / ipa-agency | Emmanuele Mastrodonato/IPA Sport