The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching, and one team will head to North America under more pressure than most to finally deliver. That, of course, is England.
The Three Lions have known nothing but pain since their finest hour, winning the FIFA World Cup on home turf in 1966. In the six decades since, their efforts at major tournaments have been filled with penalty shootout defeats, controversial red cards, and an underwhelming golden generation. In recent years, that narrative has changed, but the heartbreak has remained.
Under Gareth Southgate, England shed their skin as perennial underachievers. They reached the World Cup semifinal back in 2018, as well as reaching back-to-back European Championship finals in 2021 and again in 2024. Such efforts were considered an overachievement in the eyes of many, but the fact that all three games ended in defeat drew the ire of England supporters.
England Expects
Both Southgate and the FA became fully aware of the newfound lofty expectations, and the two parties parted ways after that Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in Berlin. In came Thomas Tuchel, the man who led Chelsea to UEFA Champions League glory in 2021. And the German boss was brought in with one goal in mind: to win the 2026 World Cup. Anything less is simply not an option.
The upcoming World Cup is expected to be the betting event of the year, and the bookies have installed England as an 11/2 second-favorite to leave MetLife Stadium with the trophy on July 19th. But anyone thinking that they have their betting provider set in stone ahead of the North American showdown ought to think again. The upstart Ozoon betting site will have launched well in time for this summer’s extravaganza, and the Canadian outlet will be covering the World Cup and England’s chances in depth.
With qualification secured and the group stage draw wrapped up, all eyes for the Three Lions are now on June 17th. That’s the day England kick off their tournament against old rivals Croatia in Dallas, Texas. And while superstars such as Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka are almost guaranteed to start, a trio of uninspiring names will also likely be on Tuchel’s teamsheet. Let’s take a look at who they are and why they’re expected to start.
Elliot Anderson
There’s Thomas Tuchel at the City Ground last November, watching Elliot Anderson scrap and battle through another industrious-but-forgettable shift against Brighton, and you can almost hear the collective groan rippling through living rooms across England. One goal and two assists in 21 Premier League starts for a Nottingham Forest side flirting with relegation. These are the numbers that apparently scream “World Cup starter” to our German savior.
Anderson will partner with Declan Rice against Croatia because Tuchel has fallen completely in love with what he sees as the perfect foil—a midfielder who’ll sit deep between the center-backs during buildup, press relentlessly, and let Rice bomb forward. The manager even declared them his preferred partnership, gushing about Anderson’s “relentless energy” and how brilliantly he facilitates Rice’s box-to-box freedom.
But here’s what England fans see: another functional midfielder in a decades-long procession of functional midfielders, someone who performed adequately against 174th-ranked Andorra and somehow earned himself a starting berth at a World Cup. And when you consider the fact that he will likely beat Crystal Palace playmaker Adam Wharton and perhaps even golden boy Jude Bellingham to a starting berth, it’s unsurprising that Three Lions supporters are scratching their heads.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford’s supposed resurrection in Barcelona since temporarily escaping the clutches of Old Trafford has been a consistently sounded narrative this term. Yes, the 28-year-old had a decent start in Catalonia, which deserved credit, but did it bring enough superlatives that the three anonymous months since haven’t managed to exhaust the enthusiasm? When England has a bang-in-form Morgan Rogers available for selection, we’re surprised.
Tuchel keeps insisting it’s about Rashford proving himself “every three days,” that he’s “in a good place” and “deserves” his spot. The manager sees versatility, pace, and a player who can operate across the front three in a dynamic system. What supporters see is a winger they’ve watched oscillate between world-class and invisible for nearly a decade, someone who looked finished at United under Rubem Amorim, scraped together a decent purple patch in Catalonia, then faded again the moment defenses figured him out.
There’s no denying his talent—there never has been. But talent means nothing when you’ve watched him drift through crucial matches time and again, looking disinterested one week and unplayable the next with no discernible pattern. England fans have tournament PTSD from exactly this type of selection: the big-name player picked on reputation rather than current form, the loyalty to proven internationals that’s cost them repeatedly. Rashford’s inclusion feels like Tuchel has learned absolutely nothing from his predecessors’ mistakes.
Here’s to hoping that they both prove us wrong. And if they don’t, Tuchel must turn to Rogers as soon as possible.
Ezri Konsa
Ezri Konsa’s name will appear on the teamsheet, and half the country will mutter “who?” before the other half answers them, resulting in, “oh right, the Villa center-back.” He’s played 26 matches this season, been solid, posted a 95% passing accuracy, won his defensive duels, and committed the cardinal sin of never doing anything memorable enough to justify starting a World Cup opener.
When you think of World Cup-winning defenders, you think of the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Fabio Cannavaro, and Marcel Desailly. Ezri Konsa? We’re not so sure.
Tuchel worships the Villa man’s one-on-one defending—statistically the Premier League’s best in 2025 with just two successful dribbles conceded in nearly 3,000 minutes. He wants Konsa embracing leadership both on and off the pitch, sees him as the dependable foundation around which England’s backline should be built. And sure, dependable is fine. Dependable keeps you in matches. But this is a tournament opener against Croatia, not a Tuesday night in the Carabao Cup.
With only a handful of caps before Tuchel arrived, Konsa represents everything that makes England selections so maddeningly predictable. He’s the defender you pick when you want to avoid criticism rather than inspire confidence, the safe choice that feels like settling. Fans don’t doubt his technique or tactical intelligence. They doubt whether solid-but-unspectacular has ever won England anything meaningful.
