The Sun: England's World Cup journey has been the most arduous, with travel distances far exceeding those of the other four semi-finalist teams.

On July 13, according to The Sun, England's journey in this World Cup has been the most difficult of all participating teams, with their long journey taking a huge toll on the team.

The Three Lions fought hard in the quarterfinals, defeating Haaland's Norway 2-1 to advance to the World Cup semifinals. Previously, they had also narrowly defeated hosts Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16.

England's knockout stage journey in this World Cup has been quite arduous. Their first knockout match was against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atalanta, followed by a trip to the Aztec Stadium in Mexico City, and now they will return to Atalanta to face Messi's Argentina.

Since their 4-2 victory over Croatia in the group stage, the England team has now traveled a total distance of over 14,000 miles (approximately 23,000 kilometers).

It is worth noting that although the England team has set up its training base in Kansas City, the same base as its semi-final opponent Argentina, the two teams have had vastly different journeys.

Argentina's total flight distance in this World Cup is just under 6,000 miles (about 9,600 kilometers), far less than England's.

France also benefited from the tournament schedule, with most of their matches taking place on the East Coast of the United States. Their total flight distance is less than 2,000 miles, the least of any team in this World Cup, even less than some teams that have already been eliminated in the group stage and have only played 3 matches.

The already eliminated Belgian team only flew about 4,000 miles throughout the entire World Cup.

Data shows that England has flown a total of about 14,365 miles during this World Cup, the most among all teams; Spain ranks second with more than 12,300 miles; Switzerland about 10,843 miles, Morocco about 8,771 miles, Norway about 7,778 miles, while Argentina only about 5,727 miles and France only 1,955 miles.

England wasn't the only semi-finalist team affected by long-distance travel. Spain, another team to reach the semi-finals, also traveled over 12,000 miles in this tournament.

With the 2026 World Cup expanding to 48 teams for the first time and being jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and with matches held in 16 cities, long-distance travel for the teams is almost unavoidable.

The Sun points out that England's flight distance in this World Cup is not only the highest in the tournament, but also the highest among all World Cup teams since the 2010 World Cup.

Previously, during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the Costa Rica team flew more than 10,000 miles; during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the Croatian team also traveled more than 8,000 miles.

In contrast, the 2022 Qatar World Cup was much easier for the players because all the venues were concentrated within a radius of about 43 miles, and the teams did not need to travel long distances.

Currently, it's unclear how much long-distance travel will affect player performance. However, Norway's head coach, Stale Solbåken, previously stated that frequent flights, air-conditioned environments, and changes in the locker room led to problems such as "coughing and breathing discomfort" among the team.

Now, England will face another tough challenge in the semi-finals. Against Messi's Argentina, in addition to tactical and technical battles, physical recovery may also be a crucial factor in determining the course of the match.