1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your role?
As British Ambassador to the US, I’m here to champion the United Kingdom in the USA – the deepest, most enduring alliance in history. From hosting Their Majesties the King and Queen, to supporting British business in the US to negotiating trade and investment deals that make British citizens better off, to maintaining our defence and security ties, to looking after visiting Brits.
My children were born in Washington DC 20 years ago. I spent the last decade representing the UK in Kenya and Pakistan. In recent London jobs, I was the Foreign Office’s chief negotiator on Ukraine, Gaza and Iran. Before that I was a documentary film maker.
2. What does it mean to be working at the 2026 World Cup for the FCDO?
It’s the experience of a lifetime. To know that this sport was born in muddy fields of the British Isles, ‘the beautiful game’ is one of the United Kingdom’s greatest gifts to the world, and our number one cultural export. No generation of Americans has grown up more connected to global football than today’s youth. The Premier League is the most-watched international league here, driven by a young and growing fanbase, and half of the Premier League teams are owned by Americans.
3. What experience do you or your team have in dealing with major sporting events?
In 2022, when I was High Commissioner to Pakistan, the England Cricket team came for a seven-match T20 series. It was the first time they’d toured there in seventeen years. Getting them back took three years, and a lot of patient work with the cricket boards on both sides. It wasn’t only about the cricket, either: proceeds from the opening match in Karachi went to flood relief, and the England board and the players chipped in too. And we have an outstanding consular team who have supported British fans across Olympic Games, World Cups and major UK tours.
4. What are your hopes and expectations for the World Cup?
England meeting Scotland in the final. I often get asked who is my Premiership team? To answer risks being undiplomatic, but I’m a south London boy…
5. Tell us a bit about your planning for the World Cup, has it been a busy time?
Extremely. This will be the largest tournament in football history. England’s group matches will take place hundreds of miles apart across this beautiful country – Dallas, Boston, and New York. With such a massive event, safety is our first priority. The Embassy is working closely with US authorities including the White House Task Force and host cities to ensure fans have the best and safest possible experience. America is no stranger to hosting large scale events and have invested $1.1Bn in supporting the security of the games, but the team have been working closely to ensure the US understands football. In fact, the UK is the only country that will deploy teams to the host cities to support policing operations.
6. How might this tournament differ from previous ones?
The scale. This is the first 48-team World Cup – 104 matches across 16 cities in three countries, the biggest tournament football has ever staged and the first ever co-hosted by three nations. For England supporters that means a World Cup played across a continent. British diplomats and consular staff in all three host nationals have spent months preparing. It’s a tournament on a truly American scale.
7. What advice would you give England fans travelling to your city?
First, the dull-but-essential: sort your ESTA well in advance, read the FCDO’s USA travel advice before you fly, and take out proper travel insurance. Full travel advice here: World Cup 2026 – USA travel advice – GOV.UK
Plan for the distances and the heat. England’s group games are hundreds of miles apart, and a June afternoon in Texas can be fierce, so carry water and pace yourself.
Be the good ambassadors I know England fans can be. Americans will give you a tremendous welcome, and a bit of that goodwill travels a long way. Make time to enjoy the best of each city: sample the local food, meet people from all walks of life, and let Dallas, Boston and New York show you what makes them special.
As Gareth Southgate said: “You have the opportunity to produce moments that people will remember forever. You are a part of an experience that lasts in the collective consciousness of our country.”
Wherever you end up, we’ll be cheering you on.
8. Will we see you on the ground?
Absolutely. In the early stages I’ll be at England-Croatia in Dallas and Scotland-Brazil in Miami. Supporting our fans and our team on the road is one of the best parts of this job, and after the work we’ve put into fan safety and the policing partnership, I want to be there to see it pay off. If you spot me in the crowd, come and say hello.
