England are gearing up for what could be an era-defining game against Norway in Miami on Saturday. The Three Lions reached the last eight by handing Mexico their first-ever World Cup defeat at the Estadio Azteca, triumphing 3-2 in an all-time classic.
Their success has largely been driven by midfield engine Jude Bellingham and enigmatic striker Harry Kane. The latter has already struck six times in five games and is firmly in the race for the tournament golden boot, trailing leader Lionel Messi by two goals.
The skipper has been equally instrumental for the team off the field. Kane has courted high praise from his teammates and manager Thomas Tuchel for leading by example, as has been the case ever since he took on the armband nearly a decade ago. However, a tradition he has introduced during his tenure seems to not be going down well with his peers any more.
During the 2021 Euros, Kane brought long-time friend and one of the best-selling musicians of the generation Ed Sheeran down to the England camp for a special private performance. Ever since, the concerts have become routine, with Sheeran revealing he has performed for the England team at every major tournament thereafter.
The 2026 World Cup in America has been no exception. Sheeran made his way to the England team’s base camp in Kansas City and performed an acoustic set for the boys. The same is featured in England’s behind-the-scenes series ‘Extra Time’, with Sheeran seen performing one of his biggest hits ‘Castle on the Hill’ from the ‘Divide’ album.
“In 2021 Harry got me down for the camp and then I met everyone, and I’ve just been to every one since. It’s been great, it’s been a nice little tradition. Since the first time I played for the lads in 2021 we’ve bonded, so it’s never a tough crowd,” Sheeran is quoted saying in the episode.
Ed Sheeran, downtime and hard work 🎶👊
— England (@England) July 7, 2026
Episode seven of Extra Time is now live 📺
Despite the singer’s claims, the visuals tell quite a different story. During the performance, the English players wore blank expressions, bordering on boredom. Veteran John Stones is seen somewhat scrunching his face while Morgan Rogers looks on with squinted eyes and barely any emotions on his visage.
Djed Spence affords Sheeran even less respect. The Tottenham defender is captured not even looking at the pop-star, instead staring off at the distance with a deadpan Ivan Toney sitting next to him. The most enthusiastic reaction is given by Eberechi Eze, and it only amounts to a courteous nodding of the head along to the beats of the song.
Even the claps at the end of the performance seem muted, with no hooting or cheering to accompany them. The only person that appeared excited during it all was in fact Sheeran, the Ipswich Town minority owner evidently pouring his passions into his voice and sporting a wide smile towards the end.
Unsurprisingly, the fans did not let the incident slip by unnoticed.
“Judging by the players’ faces, this was the toughest rival they’ve had to face”, a caption read on X.
“Ed Sheeran performed a private gig for the England team, making the players appreciate just how lucky Jordan Henderson was to leave the squad early”, wrote the official handle of popular British panel show Have I Got News For You.
How appropriate on the 25th anniversary of The Office being broadcast, England’s squad are treated, sorry, subjected to a reenactment of the “get the guitar” scene… the reactions are almost uncanny 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/GkAjokD9dF
— Dominic King (@DKingTelegraph) July 9, 2026
“They all look absolutely fuming at being made to sit through it” was perhaps the most cynical of the lot.
In fairness, it should be noted that the performance could have come on the back of some intense training, meaning the blank expressions were borne out of exhaustion rather than boredom. Nevertheless, it will all be a moot point if the Three Lions end up getting past Erling Haaland and co to reach their fourth ever World Cup semi-final.
