Tom Hardy Joins BJJ Star Craig Jones to Back England During FIFA World Cup Win Over Panama
Tom Hardy and Craig Jones backed England as the Three Lions beat Panama at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, drawing attention from UFC fans.
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Tom Hardy and Craig Jones (Image: Instagram/@craigjonesbjj)
Tom Hardy spent part of England’s FIFA World Cup journey alongside one of Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s most recognizable figures, Craig Jones, as the actor attended the Three Lions’ Group L clash against Panama at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Jones shared a series of photos on Instagram from the June 27 encounter, including shots of himself and Hardy inside the stadium wearing matching England jerseys. Another image showed Jones displaying a newly acquired Mewtwo Pokémon tattoo alongside a vintage Pokémon card, captioned simply, “PokeMen.”
The outing coincided with a successful night for England, who secured a 2-0 victory over Panama to clinch top spot in Group L. After a tightly contested and scoreless first half, Jude Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute before turning provider for Harry Kane just five minutes later.
Kane’s headed finish marked his 11th World Cup goal, surpassing Gary Lineker to become England’s all-time leading men’s World Cup scorer.
Having already booked their place in the knockout stage before kickoff, England only needed a victory to guarantee first place in the group. The result ensured Thomas Tuchel’s side advanced as Group L winners and earned a Round of 32 showdown with DR Congo.
Reflecting on the performance after the match, Tuchel praised his team’s approach and Bellingham’s impact. He said, “We did what was needed. It was a tough match. It was difficult to score. We were the only team to score twice against them. We were aggressive and careful with the counter-attacks. We deserved to win, but it was a hard piece of work.”
He added: “It’s an aggressive approach that we take. You have to defend your one-on-ones. But the tournament starts again now in knockouts. Now we collect our strength and energy. We build our team spirit and belief. We will step up, the bigger the games get the bigger we’ll be.”
Tom Hardy and Craig Jones share strong Brazilian jiu jitsu ties with connections to the UFC
Tom Hardy’s appearance alongside Craig Jones also highlighted a long-standing connection through Brazilian jiu jitsu.
The actor has trained in BJJ for several years and holds the rank of purple belt. Hardy has competed in multiple charity and open tournaments in the United Kingdom, earning respect within the grappling community for regularly testing himself in competition.
Jones, meanwhile, is one of the sport’s most accomplished submission grapplers. The Australian is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt under Lachlan Giles, a two-time ADCC World Championship silver medalist, a two-time ADCC Trials champion, a multiple-time Polaris champion, and the 2015 IBJJF No Gi World Champion at purple belt. He also co-founded B-Team Jiu Jitsu after training with John Danaher’s renowned Danaher Death Squad.
Jones has also built a strong reputation in mixed martial arts through his coaching work. He has served as the Brazilian jiu jitsu coach and cornered UFC champions Alexander Volkanovski and Jack Della Maddalena during major title fights at UFC 284 and UFC 322, bringing elite grappling expertise into championship camps.
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