The 2026 World Cup is right around the corner, and 48 national clubs are competing to win it all. England is one of a handful of teams in this year’s tournament that are expected to contend for the World Cup trophy.
Over on PrizePicks Team Picks, you can predict how certain countries will perform in the 2026 World Cup and earn a real-money payout if you’re correct. For example, a $100 entry on a specific country to win the World Cup at an 8.5x payout would return $850.
Below, we’ll discuss the probable starting lineups for England in the 2026 World Cup and break down the top player on the squad to monitor entering the tournament.
Player and Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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Projected Starting XI for the England National Team at the 2026 World Cup
Much was made about manager Thomas Tuchel’s England national team squad selection — most notably the exclusions of MF Cole Palmer, F Phil Foden, and DF Trent Alexander-Arnold. Nevertheless, England is still led by veteran F Harry Kane.
The other surprises for the England national team include the selection of F Ivan Toney and the omission of DF Harry Maguire.
Toney has been playing for Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League over the last two seasons following a gambling ban in 2023. He has scored 72 goals in 93 appearances in the Saudi Pro League.
Meanwhile, Maguire has been a mainstay in England’s squad over the years, making 66 appearances for the national team.
Projected England Formation: 4-2-3-1
- Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
- Defense: Reece James, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly
- Midfield: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Elliott Anderson
- Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
Perhaps Tuchel elects to deploy a different back line with John Stones and Dan Burn as potential starters instead of Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, or Nico O’Reilly. Reece James seems like the one defender who's a shoo-in to start.
In the midfield, Morgan Rogers or Eberechi Eze could slot in over Elliott Anderson. It would be somewhat of a surprise if both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham aren’t starting for England in the World Cup.
Up front, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane are the players to confidently place in the starting XI. Along with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke are other choices to start on the wings.
According to PrizePicks Team Picks, England has the third-highest payout (7.14x) to win the World Cup.
England Player to Watch: Harry Kane
Scoring goals is the name of the game, and not many players are better than Kane at putting the ball in the net. Across 56 matches played in all competitions this season, Kane has scored 64 goals for Bayern Munich.
The good news for Kane is that England has a talented midfield that excels at generating scoring chances. During the World Cup qualification stage, Declan Rice led the squad in chances created (16), while Jude Bellingham was tied for the second-most (11), per FotMob.
Per PrizePicks Team Picks, Kane unsurprisingly has the second-highest payout (5.88x) to win the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, which is awarded to the player who scores the most goals during the tournament.
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England advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar before losing to France. Can they inch closer to another title in 2026?
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Stick around with the Playbook for continued World Cup predictions, picks, and analysis through the end of the tournament.
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