England Squad Plays Card Games During World Cup Stay in Kansas City

England players have spent downtime during the World Cup group stage playing card games including SkyJo, Wolf and Imposter. The games are part of efforts to maintain team bonding while the squad remains at its base camp. The squad has been in the United States since 1 June and moved into its Kansas City base camp two weeks ago.

Players could remain there for up to three additional weeks if the team reaches the final.

Off-field activities Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers told BBC Sport that players have become focused on SkyJo, a numbers-based card game in which participants aim to finish with the lowest score. Rogers said Jude Bellingham introduced the game and that several teammates played it during a recent trip to a coffee shop.

In SkyJo, players collect and exchange cards until one exceeds 100 points; the player with the lowest total then wins. Rogers reported winning a recent round that included Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon and Elliot Anderson.

Team bonding measures Staff have added personal items such as family photographs to players' rooms and arranged off-site activities. Some players visited Sporting KC baseball games and a country music concert. Henderson described another game called Imposter, in which participants receive a secret word through an app while one player does not; the others must identify the uninformed participant.

Rogers said he and Bellingham have formed a close group with Henderson during the tournament. Rogers and Bellingham, who grew up in the West Midlands, are competing for the same starting position. Rogers said the two have known each other since childhood and spend most of their free time together.