Football World Cup 2026

England World Cup 2026 Guide: Squad, History, Fixtures, Odds & Prediction

England World Cup 2026 Guide

England head to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico looking to win the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 60 years.

Under Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions cruised through their UEFA qualifying group, winning all eight matches, scoring 22 goals and conceding zero.

And after reaching the Euro 2024 final, ultimately losing 2-1 to Spain, England are unsurprisingly tipped as one of the favourites for glory in North America this summer.

Here is some more information on the Three Lions ahead of their group-stage matches, as well as the latest World Cup odds on NetBet Sport.

And throughout the tournament, we will have special offers running for England matches – so keep an eye on our promotions page!

England World Cup 2026 Squad

Manager – Thomas Tuchel

Goalkeepers – Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders – Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders – Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards – Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, captain), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Has Thomas Tuchel Got His Squad Right?

Naturally, Tuchel’s 26 picks attracted some criticism, with a number of big-name players omitted – Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden being the three prime examples.

England veterans Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw also miss out, despite their Manchester United renaissances, while Morgan Gibbs-White can feel very hard done by after scoring 15 Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest in 2025-26.

And, of course, the decision to pick old warhorse Henderson over Adam Wharton is a tad bizarre, with Tuchel clearly valuing the former’s dressing-room leadership over the latter’s stellar on-pitch form.

But overall, it is a very strong squad, with pretty much all bases covered. Pickford, Guehi, Rice and Kane still represents a high-quality spine, while the additions of Reece James, Nico O’Reilly, Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson give the squad a new edge when compared to Euro 2024.

And in Bellingham, Saka, Watkins and Rashford, Tuchel has other proven match-winners at his disposal, so will not be solely reliant on Kane to drag the team out of tough situations.

What is England’s best XI for World Cup 2026?

England World Cup History

England first played at the World Cup in 1950, and then qualified for the three following tournaments (1954, 1958 and 1960).

The year of 1966 brought the World Cup to English soil, and the Three Lions triumphed in front of their fans, beating West Germany 4-2 after extra-time in a famous finale.

It remains England’s sole World Cup success, with 1990 the next time the team reached a semi-final – in which Bobby Robson’s men lost to West Germany on penalties.

The Three Lions failed to reach the World Cup in 1974, 1978 and 1994, though have qualified for every edition since the latter.

A fourth-place finish in 2018 after losing to Croatia in the semi-finals remains their joint-best finish since 1966, with Gareth Southgate’s team losing to France in the 2022 quarter-finals.

Can England finally end 60 years of hurt this summer?

England World Cup 2026 Fixtures

England vs Croatia – June 17, 21:00 KO, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Dallas

England vs Ghana – June 23, 21:00 KO, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Panama vs England – June 27, 22:00 KO, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

England World Cup 2026 Odds

*All odds are subject to change

Winner – 7.00

To reach the final – 4.00

To reach the semi-finals – 2.75

To reach the quarter-finals – 1.80

To reach the round of 16 – 1.30

Top team goalscorer:

Harry Kane – 1.50

Bukayo Saka – 10.00

Morgan Rogers – 11.00

Jude Bellingham – 15.00

England World Cup 2026 Prediction

The Three Lions should cruise through the group stage by finishing top of the pile, and it would be a shock to see them eliminated before the quarter-finals.

And we expect Tuchel’s men to emulate their 2018 performance by reaching the final four, though this could be where things get a little tricky.

Of course, the Three Lions won their previous two European Championship semi-finals vs Denmark and Netherlands, but a World Cup examination could be a step too far – especially if drawn against reigning champions Argentina, which is the most likely route at the time of writing.

Prediction – Semi-final elimination (and more years of hurt)

 

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