The Three Lions have often wavered between being a team that people can feel a sense of pride in and one that is something of a joke on the international stage. For a long time, it seemed as though the World Cup win of 1966 was going to be the exception rather than the rule, given the fact that that was the only time that the players were able to lift the trophy above their heads.
All things change eventually, however, and it certainly felt as though Gareth Southgate brought back a feeling that the team could win during his time in charge of the national side.
Performance
When it comes to how well England have done in international tournaments, it is fair to describe it as something of a mixed bag. During the sport’s more formative years, for example, the Three Lions were the dominant force, often winning the British Home Championship that was played against Scotland at first, with Wales and then Ireland joining in later years. In fact, it took until the 24th iteration of the competition for a nation other than Scotland or England to win it, unless you think of the time that England, Ireland and Scotland shared it in 1902-1903 as an Irish win.
When the British Home Championship was played for the final time in 1983-1984, England had won it 54 times. Scotland were the closest, taking home 41 victories, with Wales having notched up 12 and Ireland just eight. Things were slightly closer between the leading two if you look at outright wins, with England managing 34 compared to the 24 that Scotland enjoyed. The rise in hooliganism alongside a waning interest in international matches between the home nations is what eventually put paid to the competition, much to the disappointment of England fans who enjoyed seeing the Three Lions win something.
The World Cup
It is a slightly different story when it comes to the World Cup. Whilst England dipped their toe in the water of an international tournament in the wake of the British Home Championship being disbanded, winning three of the four Rous Cups that were played between England, Scotland and, in later years, an invited team from South America, the World Cup has always been a different kettle of fish. Having taken part in the first international match, which was against Scotland, and the first international tournament in the British Home Championship, England didn’t take part in the first few World Cups.
That changed when the team qualified for the World Cup in Brazil in 1950, being eliminated by Spain. Four years later and Switzerland was the destination, losing to Uruguay in the quarter-finals. The Three Lions lost out in 1958 and 1962, but famously won the competition in 1966. Across the following few decades, England struggled to get back to those heights again, not qualifying in either 1974 or 1978, whilst the semi-finals of the World Cup in Italy in 1990 proved to be England’s best performance in years. They failed to qualify again in 1994, qualifying for each tournament since.
One of the best periods for the Three Lions in recent times came under Gareth Southgate’s management. The former England defender took the side to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, eventually losing to Croatia. The World Cup in 2022 was held in Qatar and moved to the winter because of the intense heat of the Qatari summers. For England, a group win was rewarded with a match against Senegal, which they won 3-0, only to lose to eventual runners-up France in the quarter-finals. They did, however, win the FIFA Fair Play trophy for the competition.
European Championships
In a similar move to the World Cup, England declined the opportunity to take part in the first European Championship, which was played in 1960. They did, however, attempt to qualify in the one that was staged four years later before actually qualifying in 1968. At that point, they were well-fancied on account of the fact that they were the defending World Cup winners, topping the group and defeating Spain 3-1 in the quarter-finals before losing to Yugoslavia in the semi-finals. They did go on to beat the Soviet Union in the third-place play-off, which resulted in them coming third.
The next time that England made it to the same stage of the competition was in 1996, with Terry Venables leading a squad filled with personalities. A famous victory over Scotland was one that many will remember for years to come, largely thanks to Paul Gascoigne doing the ‘dentist’s chair’ celebration in the wake of netting the goal that made it 2-0. A 4-1 win over the Netherlands set up a quarter-final match with Spain, which the Three Lions won on penalties, resulting in a grudge match against Germany. In spite of taking the lead after three minutes, England lost on penalties.
The player who missed the final penalty, Gareth Southgate, would go on to become England’s most successful manager of the modern era. Having been brought in in the wake of a scandal involving Sam Allardyce, Southgate took the England team to the final of the tournament for the first time when it was hosted around the continent in 2020. They ultimately lost that final to Italy in a penalty shootout. Four years later and it was a not dissimilar story, making it to the final against Spain but ending up having to settle for second place when the Spanish won the game 2-1.
Structure
When it comes to the structure of the England national team, it doesn’t really work in the same kind of way as other teams. Rather than having a feeder squad, which you might expect the Under-21s to be, who makes it into the Three Lions team for any given match, whether it be a friendly or a competitive fixture, is ultimately at the discretion of the manager. There is certainly an extent to which the manager himself is influenced by the national media, often picking players not because they will make the best team to win, but because they play for popular teams in the Premier League.
Whilst some England managers have looked to other leagues to pick their players, more often than not it is the English top-flight that a player will need to be playing in if they want to make it into the Three Lions’ setup. Not only that, but it is reasonably uncommon for a manager to pick someone who isn’t playing for one of the country’s top teams. The likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City tend to be the sides that most often contribute players to the England side for international tournaments, which isn’t always ideal in terms of looking to win.
If a player has moved to one of the big teams in Europe, such as Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, then it is possible that they will still be chosen to represent the national team, but it is far from a given. In spite of the global nature of the modern game, England remains somewhat parochial in terms of what is expected of its players by the national side’s manager. Only a small percentage of players from outside of the Premier League will be selected for the Three Lions when a major tournament comes about, with the likes of performances with the Under-21s never accounted for.
Captains
You could be forgiven for thinking that the England captaincy is always given to the player that is best-equipped to guide the team through the stresses and strains of an international tournament. Whilst this has obviously happened at one point or another, there have also been countless examples of the manager just taking the easy option of picking the best player to wear the armband. Names that have been made captain in recent years have included the likes of Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Jordan Henderson and John Terry, as well as striker Harry Kane.
Whereas the role of a captain at the level of club football is to be a representative of the club both on and off the pitch, often organising the likes of charity events or player get-togethers, the same is not really true of the England captain. Instead, they are tasked with more ceremonial roles, such as having to wear the armband for the matches and deal with the referee over such things as the coin toss before kick-off. Some captains have taken on the role more than once during their playing career, having it taken off them and given back to them for numerous spurious reasons.
Managers
The role of England manager is one of the most poisoned chalices in world football. On the one hand, there are countless top-quality players with whom to work over the course of qualifying for and taking part in an international tournament. On the other, the expectation is always sky-high in terms of what an England team is expected to achieve when a competition gets underway. The national media doesn’t know moderation, instead being largely based around the idea of building someone up in order to knock them down again in the future. It is precisely that that most England managers have to endure.
The fact that only one manager between the first ever England one, Walter Winterbottom, and the departure of Gareth Southgate from the role in 2024 managed to win a major competition is neither here nor there in the eyes of those who would have it seem as though the Three Lions have a divine right to victory. Equally, members of the press react with jingoism any time a non-English person is appointed to the role. That first happened when Sven-Göran Eriksson was appointed to the role in 2001, with the likes of Fabio Capello and Thomas Tuchel later following suit.
The role itself is a tough one to fulfil. The manager is responsible for every element of the England team on the field, which includes selecting the full Three Lions squad for friendlies and competitive tournaments. They decide upon the tactics that will be used, changes to the team made in-game and who will be the captain. In the event that a match ends up going to penalties, they will be responsible for the players that will take one and the order in which they are taken. This has been the case since 1946, before which a ‘Select Committee’ would decide on the major issues.
Grounds
If you were of the opinion that the home of the England national side was Wembley Stadium, then you would be largely correct. That began life as Empire Stadium when it opened in 1923 before being changed to take on its current name. The original Wembley Stadium closed in the October of 2000, getting demolished over the next few years in order for a new stadium to open its doors in 2007. Wembley Stadium itself is used for numerous other reasons, including hosting events such as the League Cup final and the FA Cup final, plus most England internationals.
Wembley Stadium is not, however, the only venue to host England matches. During its construction, for example, numerous different grounds around the country, such as Villa Park and Old Trafford, were used to host games involving the Three Lions. In 1949, Goodison Park, the country’s first purpose-built football stadium, became the location of the England national team’s first defeat on home soil by a non-Home Nations country when the Republic of Ireland won a game hosted there. Generally speaking, though, it is Wembley Stadium that is rightly associated with the England national team.