Bellingham admits England's Euro 2024 squad 'didn't connect' and vows to fix it at the World Cup

Jude Bellingham has admitted that England’s squad atmosphere fell short at Euro 2024, saying the group ‘didn’t connect as well as it could have’ during a tournament that ended in a final defeat to Spain in Germany — the second successive European Championship in which England finished as runners-up.

Speaking on England’s Lions’ Den show, the Real Madrid midfielder reflected candidly on what went wrong during Gareth Southgate’s final tournament in charge. ‘At the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch,’ Bellingham said. ‘I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. Expectation was part of it — we had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.’

Bellingham, who previously suggested he felt scapegoated for England’s failure at the tournament, pointed to the psychological toll of winning without conviction. ‘We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn’t get the feeling you were as happy as you should be,’ he said. ‘There has to be that element of relentless and wanting to win but it is the nature of football that wins go out of the system quickly and we should hold on to that moment a little more.’

Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, Bellingham stressed the importance of collective unity and readiness throughout the squad. ‘The guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn’t always the one you’d bet your house on, so you’ve always got to be ready — everyone’s got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team,’ he said. ‘The other thing is just to enjoy it.’

England begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday 17 June, and also face Ghana and Panama in Group L. Bellingham himself faces competition for a starting berth, with manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly likely to field only one of him or Morgan Rogers in his XI.

Rogers, for his part, struck an optimistic tone about the squad’s internal dynamic. ‘We are really aligned and it is really easy and seamless for anyone to fit in the group,’ the midfielder said. ‘Wherever you are from, wherever you play, ages — it doesn’t matter in this group. It is a joy to be here.’