As England prepare for the World Cup stage, a numbers-based card game called SkyJo has emerged as an unlikely secret weapon in their Kansas City camp. Jude Bellingham introduced the game to the squad, and it has since become something of a phenomenon among the players—addictive enough that Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers admits they can barely put it down.
SkyJo, in which players collect and exchange cards until someone surpasses 100 points, crowns the lowest scorer as winner. The game has provided light relief during what could be a five-week stay at the Three Lions' World Cup basecamp—potentially extending another three weeks if they reach the final. But for these players, the value isn't just in passing time.
"A few of us yesterday when we rode our bikes to a coffee shop, played cards," Rogers told BBC Sport. "Jude bought it, it's a bit of a different one. I've never seen it before, but we're addicted at the moment."
Rogers was all the happier to discuss the game because he won—playing alongside Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon, and Elliot Anderson. The card sessions have become part of a broader effort by manager Thomas Tuchel to cultivate a club atmosphere rather than the disjointed feeling that can plague international squads.
Off the pitch, the bonding extends beyond card games. Staff have placed family photographs in players' rooms, and Tuchel joined Harry Kane, Djed Spence, and Dan Burn for an evening watching Sporting KC baseball near their base. Kane and Burn also caught country artist Ella Langley in concert.
Henderson has emerged as a key figure in squad morale—and the former Liverpool midfielder has earned an unexpected nickname from his younger teammates. "We call him unc at the moment, which he's not happy about at all," Rogers said.
For Rogers and Bellingham, the card games come amid a positional rivalry: both are competing for the number 10 role England has relied on during the tournament. Yet the pair, who grew up together in the West Midlands, view the dynamic differently. "I wish it wasn't a rivalry, if I'm honest," Rogers said. "We're really close. We spend pretty much all the time together. I think we actually can play with each other. So I don't think it's necessarily me v him." With the tournament progressing, Rogers added that both players have shown they can operate in multiple positions—and that the squad may yet benefit from their complementary skill sets.
It's a reminder that behind the high-stakes pressure of a World Cup run, some of the most meaningful moments happen over coffee and card games with old friends.