England's squad is set as the Three Lions hunt for World Cup gold

When talking about the England team, it is hard to avoid the phrase "football's coming home."

Since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966, England have not won another. Over the past few decades, they have never lacked star players or expectations: a golden generation, the Premier League's golden age, and a surge of talent. Every generation has been highly anticipated, yet each has ultimately come close to the title without quite reaching it.

In recent major tournaments, England's performances have been remarkably consistent: semi-finalists at the 2018 World Cup, runners-up at the 2020 European Championship, quarter-finalists at the 2022 World Cup, and finalists again at the 2024 European Championship. While the Southgate era was certainly controversial, he at least restored England to the latter stages of major tournaments. The problem is that England have never needed to be "close to the championship"; they have needed to actually win it.

For this World Cup, Tuchel took charge of the Three Lions and named a notably bold squad. Foden, Palmer, TAA, Grealish, and others missed out on the World Cup. Through his squad selection, he directly quelled the long-standing debate over attacking positions that England has historically struggled with.

With nine players out, the starting positions are set. As for whether Tuchel's Three Lions can truly turn "football's coming home" from a song lyric into reality, that will depend on their performance in North America.

England Overview

England is located in the southern part of Great Britain and is one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It borders Scotland to the north, Wales to the west, and the North Sea to the east, while facing the European continent across the English Channel to the south. England covers an area of approximately 130,000 square kilometers and has a population of over 56 million. Its capital, London, is also the capital of the United Kingdom. The official language is English, and the currency is the Pound Sterling.

It is important to note that England is not an independent sovereign state, but part of the United Kingdom. However, in football, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have long competed as separate teams, a distinctive feature of international football.

England was one of the key birthplaces of the modern Industrial Revolution, with cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool all playing significant roles during the industrial era. Today, London is one of the world's leading financial, cultural, and commercial centers. Oxford and Cambridge represent the oldest university traditions in the English-speaking world, while Imperial College London excels in science, engineering, medicine, and business, and is also an important symbol of the UK's strength in higher education and research.

From a football perspective, England is also one of the birthplaces of modern football. The Football Association was founded in 1863, making it the oldest football association in the world. With its commercial development, broadcasting system, and global influence, the Premier League has become one of the most watched football leagues in the world today.

Fun fact: The 1966 World Cup trophy almost didn't make it to the final.

England's only World Cup victory came in 1966. However, before that World Cup began, the Jules Rimet Trophy almost went missing.

In March 1966, the World Cup trophy was stolen while on display at a stamp exhibition in London. With only a few months remaining before the World Cup on home soil, the police received ransom notes and found themselves in an embarrassing situation. Even more dramatically, the trophy was eventually found not by the police, but by a dog named Pickles.

A week later, while London resident David Corbett was walking his dog, Pickles discovered the trophy wrapped in newspaper near a bush in South London. The Jules Rimet Trophy was subsequently recovered, and Pickles became a "national hero" in the eyes of the British media. Later, when England won at Wembley, Bobby Moore lifted the very trophy that had nearly disappeared.

In addition to Hurst's hat-trick, the Wembley goal-line controversy, and the famous quote "they think it's all over," England's 1966 championship story also features a dog that helped the Three Lions "guard the golden trophy" in advance.

Historical Performance

England first participated in the World Cup finals in 1950, but their true highlight undoubtedly came at the 1966 World Cup on home soil.

In that tournament, England advanced all the way to the final, defeating West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley Stadium to secure the first and, so far, only World Cup title in their history. Hurst scored a hat-trick in the final, while Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Banks, and others became legendary names in English football history.

But since then, England have never returned to a World Cup final. At the 1990 World Cup in Italy, they reached the semi-finals but lost to West Germany in a penalty shootout. Gascoigne's tears in that tournament further deepened England's troubled relationship with penalty shootouts.

After entering the 21st century, England consistently boasted a strong squad but repeatedly failed to turn their strength on paper into a championship. In the 2002 World Cup, they lost to Brazil in the quarter-finals; in the 2006 World Cup, they were once again eliminated in a penalty shootout; in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Lampard's goal-line controversy became a classic talking point; and in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, England even exited at the group stage.

In recent years, England have re-established themselves among the leading contenders at major tournaments. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they reached the semi-finals but lost to Croatia after extra time. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they were beaten 1-2 by France in the quarter-finals. The Three Lions have made clear progress, but they remain one final push away from truly reaching the summit.

Squad

Head Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Tuchel took charge of the England team in 2025, marking his first time managing a national team at a major tournament. Before that, he coached Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea, and Bayern, leading Chelsea to the Champions League title in 2021.

After this squad list was announced, the biggest focus was not on who had been selected, but on who had been left out. Foden, Palmer, TAA, Grealish, and others all missed out on the World Cup. Tuchel has almost directly removed the selection dilemmas that have most often sparked debate around England in recent years.

Of course, such choices may not satisfy everyone. England have never lacked talent; what they lack is the ability to truly unite that talent into a cohesive team at major tournaments. Tuchel's list appears more streamlined and more closely aligned with his own management philosophy. As for whether this risk can yield results, we will only know once the World Cup truly kicks off.

England's World Cup squad list is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), and Trafford (Man City)

Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Livramento (Newcastle), O'Riley (Man City), Spence (Tottenham), Konsa (Aston Villa), Guehi (Man City), Stones (Man City), Quansah (Leverkusen), Dan Burn (Newcastle)

Midfielders: Rice (Arsenal), Elliott Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Mainoo (Man United), Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Bellingham (Real Madrid), and Eze (Arsenal)

Forwards: Kane (Bayern), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Watkins (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Madueke (Arsenal), Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)

Key Player: Kane

In a warm-up match ahead of the World Cup, Kane scored against New Zealand, increasing his goal tally for England to 79 and further extending his record as the national team's all-time leading scorer. From Tottenham to Bayern, and from the Premier League to the Bundesliga, his goal-scoring efficiency has remained consistent, and the same holds true for the national team.

However, the conversation around Kane has never been solely about goals. He has been part of all of England's near-misses in recent years: semi-finalists at the 2018 World Cup, runners-up at the 2020 European Championship, quarter-finalists at the 2022 World Cup, and runners-up at the 2024 European Championship. Each time, they seemed close to winning the title, but ultimately failed to cross the finish line.

At this World Cup, Kane will remain England's most important scoring threat. The record as the team's all-time top scorer is already his; what he needs most next is to end a long wait by winning a championship at national team level.

World Cup Preview

England has been drawn into Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. The opening match against Croatia will be the most anticipated fixture of the group stage, especially as the two teams met in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, where England were eliminated after extra time. Given the strength of England's squad, qualifying from the group should not be a major issue; the true measure of their success at this World Cup will be their performance in the knockout stages.