England Stars Got Baseball Jerseys and Threw Out a First Pitch. It Went Exactly How You’d Think.

The Three Lions are in Kansas City for the World Cup, and on Thursday they took a break from training to do something very American. Thomas Tuchel stood on the mound at Kauffman Stadium, wound up, and fired a ceremonial first pitch before the Royals hosted the Chicago White Sox. It wasn’t bad for a soccer coach.

Tuchel was joined by Harry Kane, Dan Burn, and Djed Spence. The Royals hooked them up with custom red jerseys that had England crests on them. Kane’s had his number 9 on the back. Burn’s looked like it was sewn onto a small aircraft. Those guys are enormous in person.

The whole thing was part of the Royals’ effort to welcome England to town. Kansas City is hosting the team for the group stage, and the club wanted to give them a taste of local culture. That meant baseball, barbecue, and probably a lot of confused looks at the rulebook.

Tuchel Handled the Mound Better Than Expected

First pitches are notoriously awkward. Athletes from other sports usually float one in the dirt or bounce it six feet short of the plate. Tuchel got it to the catcher on a nice line, which puts him ahead of 90 percent of celebrities who try this. Kane looked comfortable in the batter’s box for photos. Don’t ask him to actually hit a 95 mph fastball though.

Burn and Spence stood on the field with the kind of awe that international footballers don’t usually show. Burn later told reporters he’d never been to a baseball game before. He said the stadium was louder than he expected for a Thursday afternoon in June.

Why This Matters Beyond the Photo Op

This is the first World Cup hosted in the United States since 1994. The tournament is spread across multiple cities, and teams are leaning into the novelty of playing in a country where soccer is still chasing baseball’s cultural footprint. For England, a squad that carries massive expectations every four years, these moments of levity are valuable.

Tuchel has been deliberate about keeping the group loose. He knows the pressure that comes with managing England. Letting his guys put on baseball jerseys and laugh at each other for an afternoon isn’t just a PR move. It’s part of the job.

The Royals made sure the visit felt personal. They walked the group through the dugout, showed them the batting cages, and let them take swings off a tee. Kane’s swing looked like someone trying to chop down a tree with a garden hose. But nobody cared. The crowd cheered anyway.

England’s next match is Saturday against Iran at Arrowhead Stadium. Baseball’s over. The real work starts now.