Thomas Tuchel is doing everything right to prepare England for the 2026 World Cup. He’s managing rest days, experimenting with Jude Bellingham in a free-role No. 9 position, and building trust with his squad ahead of their Group L opener against Croatia. But there’s one area where England’s preparation lags behind its rivals: the digital asset space.

England, one of the most recognizable football brands on the planet, does not have an official fan token on the Chiliz platform. Portugal does. Brazil does. Italy and Spain do too. England? Nowhere to be found.

Tuchel’s modern management approach

Tuchel, who was appointed England head coach on October 16, 2024, with his duties officially beginning on January 1, 2025, has been methodical in his tournament preparation. After pre-tournament friendlies in the United States, where England will co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, the German manager granted his players a day off.

Tuchel has told his squad they must “live up to the trust” he’s placing in them during their time off. On the tactical side, Tuchel has signaled that Bellingham may operate as a “free role” No. 9, a position that leverages the Real Madrid midfielder’s ability to drift between lines, create overloads, and finish in the box.

England’s opening Group L match against Croatia is scheduled for June 2026.

The fan token blind spot

Fan tokens are digital assets issued by sports teams on platforms like Chiliz. They give holders access to voting rights on minor club decisions, exclusive content, and various gamified experiences.

Portugal, Brazil, Italy, and Spain all have official fan tokens on Chiliz. These tokens tend to see volume spikes around major tournaments as casual fans and speculators pile in. When a national team makes a deep run in a World Cup, interest in its associated digital assets rises. When they crash out early, trading activity tends to deflate just as fast.

England, despite being one of the co-hosts and perennial contenders, has no fan token and no official digital engagement layer on any major blockchain-based platform.

What this means for investors

The teams with existing fan token infrastructure are positioned to capture tournament attention as trading volume. England’s absence from this ecosystem means that wave of engagement has nowhere to go on-chain.

There’s also a second-order effect worth considering. The absence of a major team like England from the fan token market may benefit existing tokens from competing nations. Speculative capital that might otherwise flow toward an England token could be redirected toward tokens tied to teams in the same group or bracket. Croatia, England’s Group L opponent, could theoretically benefit from this dynamic if it has associated digital assets.