“I dozed off”: Cole Palmer admits he slept through England’s World Cup thriller against Mexico

Cole Palmer fell asleep watching England at the World Cup. The Chelsea forward, left out of Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the 2026 tournament, drew laughter from reporters on Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia when he admitted: “Yes, I watched the match, but I slept through the first half.” The game in question was England’s chaotic 3-2 last-16 win over Mexico, which kicked off at 2am GMT after a storm delayed proceedings by an hour. Palmer is 24, and this was his first public comment on following the tournament from the outside.

What Cole Palmer actually said — and why it landed

Palmer’s line came in Australia, where Chelsea are running their pre-season programme. Asked whether he had kept up with England’s campaign, he skipped the media-trained answer entirely and told the truth: television on, eyes shut before half-time. In an era of rehearsed press conferences, a player admitting he slept through a knockout tie involving his own national team is genuinely unusual.

The timing explains a lot. A 2am GMT kick-off, pushed back a further hour by a storm, meant a full-time whistle deep into the early hours for anyone watching from the UK. Palmer was in the middle of pre-season, with training loads, long-haul travel and a sleep schedule that does not bend easily around North American broadcast slots.

The snub that split English football

Tuchel’s decision to omit Palmer from the 26-man squad was the most contested call of England’s build-up. Over recent Premier League seasons Palmer has established himself as one of the division’s most productive creators — a player who scores, assists and takes pressure penalties without flinching. Leaving him at home for a 48-team World Cup, with expanded squad allowances, struck many observers as a decision that needed more explaining than it received.

Tuchel has never been a coach who picks on reputation. His track record across Germany, France and England is built on functional balance: he wants roles filled, not names collected. That approach has delivered trophies, but it comes with collateral damage, and this time Palmer was it.

What it means for Chelsea and the Premier League season

Chelsea may quietly benefit. A 24-year-old who has just been told he is not among England’s best 26 arrives at the start of a Premier League campaign fully rested and thoroughly motivated — a combination that tends to produce serious numbers. Unlike squad members who spent the summer at the World Cup, Palmer completed a full pre-season block with no international workload.

That matters more than ever in a compressed calendar. Clubs whose stars went deep into the World Cup face a familiar autumn problem: fatigue, soft-tissue injuries and a slow start. Chelsea, by contrast, have their most creative attacker fresh, angry and with something to prove from matchweek one.

The 2am kick-off problem the World Cup can’t ignore

If a professional footballer cannot stay awake for a last-16 tie, the scheduling conversation is no longer a minor gripe. Hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, the 2026 World Cup was slotted around North American prime time, which pushes key fixtures into the small hours for UK and European audiences. England vs Mexico, starting at 2am GMT and delayed by weather on top of that, was the extreme case.

Broadcasters have known this was coming since the hosting decision, and highlights packages, catch-up viewing and social clips have absorbed some of the demand. But the live audience is what drives atmosphere, betting markets and next-day conversation — and Palmer’s admission is the most honest evidence yet of what those kick-off times cost.

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