Reece James, striving towards his goal: My dream is to participate in the World Cup.

England's "Three Lions" will play friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica this month before participating in the 2026 World Cup. Chelsea captain Reece James has stated that his dream is to represent England in the World Cup and that he has been striving for that goal for a long time.

England manager Thomas Tuchel announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup earlier, and the defenders called up along with Reece James include Gueye, Konsa, Nico Oreli, and Cua Ansa.

Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Reece James was unable to participate due to a serious knee injury. However, in the 2025/26 Premier League season, Reece James made 29 appearances for Chelsea, contributing two goals and four assists.

"This has been on my mind since 2022 because I missed the Qatar World Cup, and my dream is to play in the World Cup, win the World Cup, and help my national team," said Reece James, 26.

Since then, my focus has been entirely on this World Cup. I've done everything I can to strive towards that goal.

It's worth mentioning that Reece James traveled to the United States with Chelsea in 2025 to participate in the Club World Cup and successfully won the championship with the team.

Reflecting on his experience playing in the United States, Reece James shared, "I often think about that experience, including the local climate and the conditions of the playing fields. It's not easy to travel there to play in the middle of summer, especially since we've been playing in England for a long time, and the weather conditions there are very different."

"So being able to adapt to those environments a year in advance will be of great help to my future participation in the World Cup, and I will be able to gain a lot of valuable experience from it."

In addition, Reece James said, "There are not many things that can replicate the feeling of winning a championship. I have been working for football for more than 20 years."

"Playing at the highest level and serving for Chelsea and the England national team for as long as possible has always been my dream. So in a sense, I'm realizing my dream every day."

Image source: Internet