With only one summer remaining before the 2026 World Cup, we thought we would take a closer look at England’s squad to assess whether they have a group good enough to finally bring football home.
There is no doubt that Thomas Tuchel has a lot of talent at his disposal, but his side will face some fierce competition in international football’s most prestigious competition. Although the Three Lions do not necessarily have to be the strongest on paper to go all the way in North America, the better the squad, the better the chances of success.
England Squad Position by Position
Although things could well change by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off next June, here is the state of the squad as it currently stands.
Goalkeeper
It is difficult to see Jordan Pickford not being England’s number one at the next World Cup. He thoroughly deserves his place as he has been largely solid for England across his 75 appearances. The Everton shot-stopper also comes with the added benefit of a good penalty-saving record – a useful asset during international tournaments. Since 2018, Pickford has saved five of the 20 shoot-out penalties he’s faced for England.
The only thing you would say about the 31-year-old year old is that he is never considered among the elite goalkeepers around due to his occasional jitters. This does not make the goalkeeping position a weakness for England, but it prevents it from being a huge strength.
Full Back
There was a time where England were spoilt for choice at right back with Gareth Southgate able to choose from Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The situation is much less competitive now, though. Trippier has retired from international duty, a declining Walker will be 36 by the time the tournament begins and James has become so injury-prone it is hard to rely on him.
Trent remains a great option, but he may not provide the defensive abilities Tuchel would like from his full-back, especially if employing a back four. Over on the left-hand side, the situation is no better. A complete lack of options meant that Tuchel was forced to play the very inexperienced Miles Lewis-Skelley there during his first two games in charge. Although the Arsenal youngster did well in the matches, he may be a source of vulnerability against better teams.
Tuchel has a few options that can cover at left back, like Levi Colwill and Dan Burn, but these are central defenders by trade. Due to this, Tuchel will be hoping that the likes of Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento or Djed Spence make real progress next season. Otherwise, this will be a position of concern for England.
Central Defence
England have no shortage of good options in the heart of defence, but they lack any truly world-class names. John Stones has fallen into this category before, but injuries have taken their toll to the extent he is no longer a first-choice option at Manchester City. Other names like Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire and Ezri Konsa have all proven perfectly reliable for Three Lions, but how many would be good enough to start for the strongest teams at the World Cup?
At 22 years old, Jarrad Branthwaite and Levi Colwill are both two names with extremely bright futures but they will not have hit their prime by the time of the 2026 World Cup. The bottom line is Tuchel will not struggle for reliable options at centre back, but other nations, in particular France, have a slightly superior pool to pick from.
Central Midfield
The main question in centre midfielder is who will partner Declan Rice? Rice himself is a superb option and a player most, if not all, countries would love to have. At Euro 2024, the Arsenal man lined up beside Kobbie Mainoo for the knockout matches, but Mainoo’s development has been stunted by insufficient minutes at Manchester United.
Adam Wharton and Conor Gallagher are possible partners, although it is worth noting that the latter has regularly found himself on the bench since signing for Atletico Madrid. The other option is to play Jude Bellingham deeper, as Tuchel did during his first two matches in charge. This gives England a formidable, elite-level midfield core. The only problem is that there would be a significant drop-off in quality, if either of these men picked up an injury or suspension.
Attacking Midfield
On the face of things, England have a wealth of options to play in the attacking midfield positions. Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen, Jack Grealish, and Anthony Gordon to name just a few. Upon closer inspection though, the situation is not as peachy as it seems. Foden has been consistently poor in an England shirt, Grealish barely kicked a ball for Man City in 2024-25 and Bowen has rarely looked as good for England as he does for West Ham.
Saka and Palmer remain excellent players, the only slight limitation with them is neither can play on the left, meaning that for both to play, Tuchel will need to play a 4-2-3-1 or similar. This leaves the Three Lions needing a strong option at left wing but there is no standout candidate currently. Due to this, Tuchel will be hoping that someone from the likes of Gordon, Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Jamie Gittens or Marcus Rashford can impress next season.
Striker
Despite calls for him to be dropped in the past, particularly during Euro 2024, England are lucky to have someone as talented as Harry Kane playing up front. Tuchel will need to figure out how best to use him, but there should be no questioning his quality. The 31-year-old finished this season with 38 goals and 13 assists in 46 Bayern appearances – numbers very few players in world football can compete with.
While there should be no questioning Kane’s world-class talent, the only slight concern for England is who replaces him if he is not fully fit. Ollie Watkins currently occupies the first back-up spot, but he has not been tested much at the highest international level. In fact, he only has around 600 international minutes in total. Other options fare little better in this regard as England’s reliance on Kane over the years has denied opportunities for other forwards.
Conclusion
While we have identified some areas in which England could improve, you could do the same for every country that will be at the World Cup. To lift the trophy, you do not need world-class players in every position, just a well-balanced squad with no major weaknesses. The current England side has few areas of weakness, but they could do with bolstering options at full back and left wing. If this happens, England will have a squad that is, on paper at least, capable of going toe-to-toe with any of the leading nations at this coming World Cup.
