England have secured their place at the FIFA World Cup 26™, with the Three Lions gearing up for a 17th tournament and eighth in succession. The event is set to be staged for the first time across three host nations: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The European powerhouses will be looking to end a 60-year wait for the coveted crown, with England having last lifted the trophy on home soil back in 1966 by defeating West Germany 4-2 at Wembley. They have since reached the semi-finals twice in 1990 and 2018, while also playing five quarter-finals. On the continental stage, meanwhile, the Three Lions have finished as runners-up at the two most recent UEFA EURO.
England coach: Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel was confirmed as the new England boss in October 2024 following the departure of Gareth Southgate, but didn’t start his position until January of the following year. The German, who is just the third foreign national to lead the Three Lions, enjoyed a modest career as a player before retiring early and transitioning into coaching. Much like fellow countryman Jurgen Klopp, Tuchel started his career in the dugout of Mainz and moved on to further success with Borussia Dortmund. He took Paris Saint-German, Chelsea and Bayern Munich to trophies thereafter, before moving into the England hotseat.
England World Cup 26 fixtures and group
England will discover their group-stage opponents when the Final Draw for the FIFA World Cup 26 takes place at the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC from 12:00 local time (17:00 in London) on Friday, 5 December.
Full World Cup 26 match schedule
How England qualified for World Cup 26
England were the first European nation to book their place at the global finals, achieving the feat in October 2025 with two matches to spare. Tuchel’s charges won their opening six matches without conceding to secure their place in double-quick time, having eased through a group containing Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra.
England’s World Cup history
England’s best World Cup
England’s most famous World Cup showing came on home soil in 1966, as Alf Ramsey led a side containing the likes of Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks to glory. The ‘wingless wonders’ as they became known for their narrow 4-3-3 shape, topped Group 1 after a draw with Uruguay and victories over Mexico and France, respectively. A nervy win over Argentina led to a 2-1 triumph against Portugal to set up a clash for the ages with West Germany at Wembley. The ding-dong battle saw England twice pegged back before two extra-time goals from Geoff Hurst saw him complete the first-ever final hat-trick, while taking his side to victory in front of more than 96,000 people.
England’s last World Cup
At Qatar 2022, England suffered quarter-final heartbreak to eventual runners-up France. The Three Lions opened their campaign with a bang by hitting IR Iran for six in Al Rayyan. That result was followed by a draw with USA and a 3-0 victory over Wales which secured their position atop Group B. Gareth Southgate’s side then struck three past Senegal to secure their biggest knockout win since Korea/Japan 2002.
In the last-eight showdown with France, Aurelien Tchouameni gave Les Bleus the lead inside the first half. Harry Kane levelled with a penalty shortly after the break but Olivier Giroud regained French control 12 minutes from time. Kane was handed another chance to net from the spot with five minutes on the clock, but uncharacteristically cleared the crossbar as England bowed out.
England’s first World Cup
After rejoining FIFA in 1946, England touched down on World Cup soil for the first time at Brazil 1950. A 2-0 victory over Chile provided the perfect start to their debut finals, but back-to-back 1-0 defeats against USA and Spain ensured the Three Lions finished second in Group 2 and exited the competition.
England’s World Cup top scorer
Gary Lineker has been England’s record global finals goalscorer since 1986 with ten to his name. He plundered half-a-dozen in Mexico – including a hat-trick against Poland – to clinch the adidas Golden Boot. Another four followed at Italy 1990, but he couldn’t prevent semi-final heartbreak against a West Germany side who would go on to lift the trophy. Harry Kane, who also claimed top scorer honours at Russia 2018, is two goals further back on eight.
England’s record World Cup appearance-maker
With a record 125 caps to his name, Peter Shilton has unsurprisingly played in more World Cup matches than any other Englishman. Remarkably, though, the first of his 17 global finals appearances came at the age of 32, as England defeated France 3-1 in their Spain 1982 opener. Shilton then kept goal for the Three Lions in Mexico and Italy, with his final cap coming in the third-place play off defeat to the hosts in 1990, at the age of 40.
England’s memorable World Cup moments
The Three Lions’ victory over West Germany in the 1966 showpiece is without doubt the nation’s crowning footballing moment, with the final two goals of particular note.
With the score deadlocked at 2-2 and four minutes remaining in the first half of extra time, Alan Ball scampered down the right and sent a first-time cross in for Hurst. The ball was slightly behind him, with marking German defender Wolfgang Weber appearing to predict it would miss the forward. Hurst, though, adjusted his body to touch the ball down and, while falling, lashed an effort on goal. The shot cleared Hans Tilkowski and crashed off the underside of the bar, with Swiss referee Gottfried Dienst adjudging, along with help from linesman Tofiq Bahramov, that the ball had crossed the line.
The Germans fought frantically to get back into the contest but were left on the canvas in the final moment. Moore brought the ball down in the defensive third and sent one over the top for the onrushing Hurst. Chased all the way by Wolfgang Overath, Hurst powered into the box and, with the ball bobbling on the Wembley turf, caught a sweet left-footed shot which arrowed into the top-left corner. It made him the only player to score a World Cup final hat-trick, with Kylian Mbappe joining him 56 years later following his treble in the Qatar 2022 showpiece.
Other memorable England moments include Bobby Robson’s 27-second goal against France at Spain 1982, David Platt’s last-gasp extra-time winner over Belgium at Italy 1990, and their first-ever shootout victory over Colombia in the last 16 at Russia 2018.
England’s biggest World Cup win
Confidence was high following a late 2-1 victory over Tunisia at Russia 2018, with England recording an opening-day win for the first time since Germany 2006. They took that confidence into their next clash with Panama in Nizhny Novgorod, where a brace of John Stones headers and a pair of Harry Kane penalties, with a Jesse Lingard screamer in between, ensured England entered the break 5-0 up – the first team to do that in a group-stage match since Poland against Haiti in 1974. Kane duly completed his hat-trick just past the hour to further extend the lead. Felipe Baloy notched a late consolation, but the 6-1 victory remains England’s biggest on the global stage.
