Now that we’ve had 30 years of “It’s coming home…” to go with 60 years of hurt, perhaps we can conclude that Three Lions, although a great anthem, hasn’t exactly helped England’s World Cup cause.
What started out as tongue-in-cheek bluster has since morphed into a curse, a living, grieving tally of near-misses and catastrophes measured out in failure, while somehow also raising expectations beyond all reason.
Following an eight-year spell of unprecedented progress and heartbreak under Gareth Southgate, Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel was brought in with one objective: World Cup glory.
It hasn’t been the smoothest succession, Tuchel having clashed publicly with several players, including Jude Bellingham, while keeping his cards close to his chest by fielding experimental lineups almost throughout his tenure, and making a multitude of shock squad selections and omissions. Cole Palmer and Adam Wharton, anyone?
By now, England fans surely know better than to get carried away…
Then again, on paper they’re one of the strongest teams in North America. Harry Kane is arguably the best striker on the planet, there’s fierce competition for places, and many of the players now have an enormous well of tournament experience to draw from.
Here’s our full (and quick) guide to England at World Cup 2026.
Who are England’s World Cup opponents?
England are in Group L, alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana.
Croatia, ranked No.11 in the world by FIFA, are England’s strongest group opponents on paper. The Vatreni memorably beat the Three Lions in extra time of their semi-final clash at World Cup 2018, courtesy of a 109th-minute Mario Mandzukic strike. However, with Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic now 40 and 37 respectively, an ageing squad in the brutal North American heat could be a worry for head coach Zlatko Dalic.
Panama were hammered 6-1 by England during their only previous appearance at a World Cup eight years ago, but under former Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen they’ve reached the final of Gold Cup 2023, the last eight of Copa America 2024 and the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League final. Ranked at No.34, Los Canaleros have also taken their World Cup preparation more seriously than most, with three games in quick succession over the past month.
Despite failing to make the cut for AFCON 2025/26, No.73-ranked Ghana reached the World Cup partly by virtue of having one of the easiest routes through qualifying. The Black Stars haven’t won any of their six fixtures since – with a losing aggregate record of 13-3 – and sacked Otto Addo just weeks before the World Cup. His replacement is Carlos Queiroz, Alex Ferguson’s former Man Utd assistant, who will appear at a record fifth successive World Cup after previous spells with Portugal and Iran. Antoine Semenyo, however, was one of the best players in the Premier League last season.
When do England play in the World Cup?
(All times BST)
Wednesday, June 17
9pm – England vs Croatia | ITVX, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
Tuesday, June 23
9pm – England vs Ghana | BBC iPlayer, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
Saturday, June 27
10pm – England vs Panama | ITVX, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
Are England World Cup favorites?
Spain and France are widely considered the 2026 World Cup favorites, but England’s chances look very good too.
They’re currently ranked at No.4 by FIFA, behind only Spain, France and World Cup holders Argentina, and above such big names as Portugal, Brazil and Germany.
What is England’s potential route to the World Cup final?
In short, it’s complicated.
If England won Group L, they’d face a third-place finisher from either Group E, H, I, J or K in the Round of 32, the likeliest candidates being Ivory Coast (E), Ecuador (E), Uruguay (H), Saudi Arabia (H), Norway (I), Senegal (I), Austria (J), Algeria (J), Colombia (K) and DR Congo (K).
Get to the Round of 16, and they’d meet the winner of Group A or a third-place finisher from either Group C, E, F, H or I. Mexico are the Group A favorites, while Scotland (C), Ecuador (E), Japan (F), Saudi Arabia (H) and Senegal (I) seem the likeliest third-place finishers.
From this point on, the possibilities are almost endless, but Brazil could be England’s opponents in the quarter-finals, followed by either Argentina or Portugal in the semis, and France or Spain in the final.
Who is in the England squad?
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Man City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), John Stones (Man City), Marc Guehi (Man City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Nico O’Reilly (Man City), Djed Spence (Tottenham), Tino Livramento (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Noni Madueke (Arsenal)
What is the England predicted lineup?
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Reece James, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham
Forwards: Noni Madueke, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane (c)
What is England’s World Cup record?
Prior to World Cup 2026, England have won 32 of their 74 World Cup fixtures, lost 20 and drawn the other 22.
They’ve won the tournament once, on home soil in 1966.
They recorded their next-best performances at the 1990 and 2018 editions, where they reached the semi-finals on both occasions.
They failed to qualify for the 1974, 1978 and 1994 World Cups and didn’t enter until the 1950 edition.
Who is the England manager?
Thomas Tuchel, the former Augsburg, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach, succeeded Gareth Southgate as England manager in October 2024. He began work on January 1, 2025.
The German initially agreed an 18-month deal that would have been ended with the 2026 World Cup, but in February 2026 he signed a surprise two-year extension that runs through to Euro 2028.
Can you watch England’s World Cup games for free?
All of England’s games – along with the entirety of the World Cup – are free-to-air in the UK, Ireland and Australia:
Wednesday, June 17
9pm – England vs Croatia | ITVX, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
Tuesday, June 23
9pm – England vs Ghana | BBC iPlayer, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
Saturday, June 27
10pm – Panama vs England | ITVX, SBS on Demand, RTÉ Player
(All times BST)
Use a VPN to watch World Cup 2026 live streams
If you’re traveling, you might discover your usual World Cup stream is suddenly unavailable due to geo-restrictions.
Don’t worry, that’s exactly where a VPN can help. A virtual private network lets you connect to servers around the world so you can securely access your usual World Cup coverage as if you were back home.
We recommend Norton VPN. Here’s why:
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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