England fans are expectant once again ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having reached the final of Euro 2021 last summer and the last four at Russia 2018.
Gareth Southgate has taken the Three Lions closer to glory than any other manager since they last lifted the World Cup in 1966 — and Euro 2022 glory for the nation’s women’s side has only heightened excitement ahead of the journey to Qatar.
Southgate will be keen to manage the pressure surrounding his squad as the build-up to the tournament continues, but the former defender should also be confident of another strong performance. England will start among the leading contenders to hoist the famous trophy.
WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales
Final 26-man England World Cup roster
England will not play any pre-tournament friendlies ahead of the World Cup with Southgate basing his final squad pick on domestic, and previous international form. He revealed his 26-man squad on November 10.
With the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell ruled out through injury, Southgate had to look to other options in defence. Conor Gallagher and James Maddison both made the final 26-man squad in midfield while he opted for Callum Wilson over the likes of Ivan Toney, and Tammy Abraham as an outside pick up front. Maddison, however, suffered an injury playing for Leicester on November 12, which will need to be monitored.
Here’s the final 26-man list heading to Qatar.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jordan Pickford | Everton (ENG) | 28 | 45 | 4 |
| Goalkeeper | Nick Pope | Newcastle United (ENG) | 30 | 10 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| Defender | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool (ENG) | 24 | 17 | 3 |
| Defender | Conor Coady | Everton (ENG) | 29 | 10 | 4 |
| Defender | Eric Dier | Tottenham (ENG) | 28 | 47 | 0 |
| Defender | Harry Maguire | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 48 | 6 |
| Defender | Luke Shaw | Manchester United (ENG) | 27 | 23 | 4 |
| Defender | John Stones | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 59 | 9 |
| Defender | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United (ENG) | 32 | 37 | 3 |
| Defender | Kyle Walker | Manchester City (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 6 |
| Defender | Ben White | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 17 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Conor Gallagher | Chelsea (ENG) | 22 | 4 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Mason Mount | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 32 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Kalvin Phillips | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 23 | 7 |
| Midfielder | Declan Rice | West Ham United (ENG) | 23 | 34 | 5 |
| Forward | James Maddison | Leicester City (ENG) | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Forward | Callum Wilson | Newcastle (ENG) | 30 | 4 | 0 |
| Forward | Phil Foden | Manchester City (ENG) | 21 | 18 | 7 |
| Forward | Jack Grealish | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 24 | 6 |
| Forward | Harry Kane | Tottenham (ENG) | 29 | 75 | 8 |
| Forward | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (ENG) | 24 | 46 | 3 |
| Forward | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 20 | 5 |
| Forward | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 79 | 7 |
Your #ThreeLions squad for the @FIFAWorldCup! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/z6gVkRTlT3
— England (@England) November 10, 2022
Alongside Toney and Abraham missing out, other notable absentees included Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori, Emile Smith Rowe and James Ward-Prowse. Chelsea duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell had already been ruled out with injury.
Goalkeeper
Everton star Jordan Pickford was an ever-present for England during their run to the semifinals and final of the last two major tournaments.
Penalty shootout heroics only boosted his status as Southgate’s No.1, and despite missing the September UEFA Nations League games through injury, he remains first choice, with Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale as backups.
Defence
Southgate once had an embarrassment of riches at full-back, however injury concerns over Kyle Walker and the omission of Reece James have influenced his final plans, with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold forcing his way back into contention after missing out on Euro 2021.
The left-back position was also impacted by Ben Chilwell’s injury, and regular right-back Kieran Trippier proved to be a must-have on the final roster given his ability to fill in on the opposite flank for starter Luke Shaw.
Walker has been included despite not playing since the start of October, and despite doubts over United skipper Harry Maguire’s club performances, Southgate can rely on him in an England shirt. John Stones a seemingly certain selection alongside him, in either a back four or a three-man defence.
Midfield
The defensive pivot of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips offered England a platform to build on at Euro 2021, and they are expected to continue that partnership in Qatar if Phillips can somehow return to fitness. Jude Bellingham’s rapid rise presents Southgate with an extra option and if Phillips isn’t completely fit then the youngster will start.
Depending on formation, Mason Mount is likely to start as the link man between midfield and attack, while the England boss has experience in Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and energy in Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher. Maddison offers extra creativity, although there was huge concern when he went down with an injury in Leicester City’s final league game before the tournament.
Forwards
Captain Harry Kane is an undisputed starter for Southgate and he could break the England all-time goal record in Qatar.
Raheem Sterling’s goals were crucial at Euro 2021, and he will stay in the starting XI if he maintains solid form at Chelsea, with Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish fighting for the other starting spot in an advanced attacking role.
Southgate is well-stocked with wide options, but an alternative — more traditional — partner for Kane could be more of a challenge.
Newcastle’s Callum Wilson and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford would give Southgate something extra, if Plan A needs to be tweaked.
MORE: When is the Premier League winter break for Qatar 2022?
England projected starting lineup at World Cup 2022
(3-4-3): Pickford — Walker, Maguire, Stones — Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Rice, Trippier — Sterling, Kane, Grealish
(4-2-3-1): Pickford — Walker, Maguire, Stones, Trippier — Bellingham, Rice — Saka, Mount, Sterling — Kane
820 – England’s 2022 World Cup squad have a combined 820 caps between them; the second-most for a #ThreeLions squad in a World Cup tournament, after 2010 (821). Embedded. pic.twitter.com/tSib2tMisR
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 10, 2022
How many players will be in England’s World Cup squad?
World Cup rosters previously consisted of 23 players, including three goalkeepers, but FIFA have expanded squads to 26 for Qatar 2022, meaning Southgate has scope to include a few more bold calls in his selection.
The extra places allow for more experimentation, particularly in attacking areas, and may provide Southgate an opportunity to go with less-experienced options to offer a surprise factor in Qatar.
Alongside his final squad, Southgate is likely to name a standby list, as he did for Euro 2021.
Teams are allowed to make replacements for serious injury or medical conditions up to 24 hours before their first match in the World Cup. However, any such swap must take place from the original 55-man preliminary list.
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