THOMAS TUCHEL is looking to finalise England’s World Cup warm-up opponents after the FA confirmed the two friendlies in March.
The Three Lions will take on Uruguay, managed by former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, at Wembley on Friday 27 March.
Three days later, England will play Japan, also at Wembley, which will be the nation’s final home game before next summer’s World Cup.
Tuchel’s team will then have two matches in June which are likely to be staged at Inter Miami’s ground in Florida.
The teams are likely to be similar in style to two of England’s three World Cup opponents. The squad will have about a week in Florida before moving to their base which has yet to be decided.
Tuchel, asked about Uruguay and Japan, said: “We are really pleased to have these two fixtures confirmed as our World Cup year takes shape.
“We wanted to play two teams ranked in the top 20 in the world, but also to test ourselves against opponents from outside of Europe.
“After Friday’s draw, the excitement for next year is really building and we can’t wait to see our fans again at Wembley.”
March’s friendlies will be challenging games for England.
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Uruguay finished fourth in a ten team CONMEBOL table – one of four teams to finish on 28 points from 18 games.
Their qualification campaign featured 2-0 wins against Argentina and Brazil.
Japan breezed through their qualification campaign. In March, the Blue Samurai became the first team after the co-hosts to book their place at the World Cup.
Tuchel will be given the chance to assess his options, before picking his final squad once the season finishes.
England will be in Group L, alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana.
ITV Sport will show England’s opening match against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.
BBC Sport will screen the Ghana game in Boston six days later and ITV Sport will have the match against Panama in New Jersey on June 27.
