Yahoo News England arrive home after World Cup 2018 heroics
England’s World Cup squad has arrived back in the UK after their plane landed at Birmingham Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Their return was low-key, with the airport having asked fans to stay away from the site and confirmed that there would not be a viewing area erected to greet the team home.
England recorded their equal second-best performance at a World Cup finals having reached the final four.
There they would lose to Croatia at the semi-final stage, before losing the third-place play-off to Belgium.
After joking he would be spending "the next couple of days asleep", manager Gareth Southgate said: "I'll be back into the office one day this week to get some plans in place for September, then I can get a couple of weeks' break before the start of the season."
In Pictures | England's Fifa World Cup 2018
In Pictures | England's Fifa World Cup 2018
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The best pictures from England's World Cup campaign
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England players applauds fans following their 2-1 loss to Croatia in a nail-biting World Cup semi-final
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Croatia's forward Mario Mandzukic scores his team's second goal past England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in extra time
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England's Jordan Pickford saves a shot from Croatia's Mario Mandzukic
Reuters
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Croatia's Ivan Perisic celebrates to level the score at 1-1 vs England
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Croatia's goalkeeper Danijel Subasic fails to stop a sublime set play from England's Kieran Trippier
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England's Kieran Trippier opens the scoring vs Croatia
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Fans react in Hyde Park following the game
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England's Kieran Trippier vies for the ball vs Sweden's Emil Forsberg
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England's Harry Maguire celebrates his goal vs Sweden
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England fans in London celebrate after their team scored the second goal in their quarte-final match vs Sweden
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England's Dele Alli scores their second goal
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Gareth Southgate celebrates after England reach the quarter-finals
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England's players celebrate after defeating Colombia in a penalty shoot-out
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Dier steps up to score the winning penalty to send England into the quarter-finals
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Jordan Pickford denies Colombia's Carlos Bacca in the shoot-out.
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Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot to give England the lead against Colombia
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Belgium's Adnan Januzaj celebrates vs England
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Belgium's Adnan Januzaj scores against England
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Belgium's Mousa Dembele and Leander Dendoncker in action with England's Ruben Loftus-Cheek
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England's Gary Cahill and Belgium's Michy Batshuayi challenge for the ball
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England's Jamie Vardy and Belgium's Moussa Dembele in action
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England's Jesse Lingard reacts as he celebrates with Raheem Sterling after scoring his team's third goal during their Group G match vs Panama
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England's Jesse Lingard scores a sublime goal vs Panama
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An England fanatic in Nizhny Novgorod celebrates after their match against Panama
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England fans support their 'Three Lions' in Russia
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The wives and girlfriends of England's World Cup players
Rebekah Vardy
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Harry Kane and the team arrive back in St Petersburg after their win over Panama
Harry Kane/Instagram
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England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group G match vs Panama at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium
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England's Harry Kane celebrates scoring their second goal vs Panama
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England's Harry Kane scores his penalty vs Panama
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Steve Holland holding training notes in Repino
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England's midfielder Jesse Lingard takes part in a training session in Stadium Spartak in Zelenogorsk
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Engl;and's Kieran Trippier, Jordan Pickford, Jesse Lingard and Harry Maguire race on inflatable unicorns during a recovery session
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England supporters celebrate at the Lord Raglan Pub in London after watching Harry Kane's winning goal vs Tunisia
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Gareth Southgate celebrates after defeating Tunisa
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Harry Kane of England celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia Group G match vs Tunisia
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England's Harry Kane scores a late winner vs Tunisia
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England's Harry Kane celebrate scoring their first goal vs Tunisia
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England's Harry Kane opens the scoring vs Tunisia
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England fans react at the Luna Beach Cinema in Brighton as they watch the 2018 Fifa World Cup Group G Belgium vs England match
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Football fans pour onto the streets in London following a the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G Belgium vs England match
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England's Dele Alli, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek get ready for the official squad photo ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Russia
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England's Harry Kane and Jesse Lingard get ready for the official squad photo ahead of the Fifa World Cup in Russia
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England stand for a minute's silence in tirbute to Grenfell
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England manager Gareth Southgate and England's Harry Kane receive gifts before their first training session
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England fans drink beer at the FIFA Fan Zone in Volgograd, Russia
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England Players go Ten Pin Bowling in Russia
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England's Jesse Lingard reacts after an insect lands on him ahead of their 2018 FIFA World Cup Group G match vs Tunisia
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England fans up before their match vs Tunisia
Reuters
England are next in action on September 8, with a Nations League home match against Spain.
The manager added: "It's a new concept and we're all waiting to see how it pans out but there are really good matches with Spain and Croatia, so we're looking forward to getting back to Wembley and taking the team on the road to Leicester for a friendly (against Switzerland on September 11)."
Reflecting on England's showing in the World Cup, Southgate added: "That's the privilege of being involved with England...we have a chance to be involved with people's lives and bringing happiness to millions and we've lifted some of the gloom in this country.
"It's only temporary but still a very powerful thing to be involved with. We're looking forward to (doing) that again."
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
