The 2022 FIFA World Cup only ended last week, yet for some England fans, eyes are already on 2026 when the competition heads to North America for the first time this century.
Canada, Mexico and the USA will host the first tri-nation World Cup as England will look to finally end their hurt by winning the competition in the summer of 2026, with the Three Lions seemingly already having the blueprint for what players will feature at the tournament.
England bowed out of Qatar at the quarter-final stages playing some good football with some of the youngest and best players at the World Cup, and as a result, there’s reason to believe that Gareth Southgate’s squad could have a shot at bringing football’s biggest prize back home in four years time.
With that being said, here’s what England’s starting XI could look like for the 2026 World Cup, with some players having time on their hands to establish themselves as regulars for the European powerhouses in the coming years.
Pickford retains no. 1 shirt as Tomori & Mitchell nail down starting spots
A lot can obviously change in four years, particularly in football. Yet there’s a good bet that Jordan Pickford will still be England’s starting keeping come the 2026 World Cup, with the Everton star being 32-years-old when the competition kicks off in North America.
The rest of the backline does look different, though, to what started in Qatar this winter, with a fully-fit Reece James replacing Kyle Walker at right-back with Fikayo Tomori finally nailed down his place in the England XI having being snubbed for the 2022 World Cup entirely this year.
Crystal Palace duo Tyrick Mitchell and Marc Guehi complete the back-four, with the pair highly regarded by Southgate and expected to go on to do big things in their careers, with both players likely to have moved on from Selhurst Park by the time 2026 rolls around.
Bellingham marshall’s England at the World Cup 2026 alongside Rice
Jude Bellingham was England’s midfield superstar out in Qatar, and at 19, of course the £130m Liverpool target features in our XI for the 2026 World Cup, with Declan Rice also named given that the West Ham captain will be in his prime at 27 when football’s biggest competition next roles around.
With two players nailed on to start, identifying a third becomes a bit of an issue given how many exciting midfielders England have who could be exceptional by 2026, from Mason Mount and Kalvin Phillips to youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Harvey Elliott. However, Conor Gallagher is our pick.
The Chelsea prospect is one of the most versatile central midfielders in the Premier League, and with the England international 22-years-old at the time of writing, Gallagher has years ahead of him to become a regular with the Blues and to develop his game even further, as well as nail down a starting spot for England.
Kane starts last major tournament with Foden & Saka on the wings
Whilst the defence and midfield brought up some interesting debates, the attack is where that all stops and when England return to the tried and tested methods, that being the front-three that started against Senegal and France out in Qatar in Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka.
The trio have the potential to be one of the most potent on the international stage, with many fans on social media slamming Southgate for not discovering this pairing sooner considering how obvious the tactical decision was for some supporters. However, we could now see this attack stay together for many years to come.
Whilst Kane will be into his thirties, there’s no denying that the England captain will still be at his world-class best come 2026, though the emergence of some strikes such as Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun, Leeds United’s Joe Gelhardt and Tottenham’s Dane Scarlett could give the Spurs icon a run for his money in four years time.
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