England confirm World Cup 2026 squad numbers as Anderson takes the No 8 shirt

England have confirmed their squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup, with Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson awarded the No 8 shirt and Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly the No 3 as both players prepare for their senior tournament debuts under head coach Thomas Tuchel.

Anderson’s No 8 carries considerable weight in England’s history, previously worn by Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, and most recently Jordan Henderson — who takes the No 14 for this tournament. The allocation is widely seen as a signal of the role Tuchel expects Anderson to play after the 26-year-old wore No 23 and No 21 in earlier England appearances.

O’Reilly, whose breakout season at Manchester City earned him a place in the 26-man squad, picks up the No 3 following what Tuchel’s camp has indicated will be a prominent role in the tournament.

Captain Harry Kane retains the No 9, while Jude Bellingham wears No 10 — an assignment that may carry implications for the competition to start behind Kane, where Bellingham and Morgan Rogers (No 17) are understood to be the leading candidates.

A portion of the squad departed from Birmingham International on Monday morning, flying to Florida for a pre-tournament warm-up camp. Arsenal players Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke were not in that group, having featured in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, and will join up with the rest of the squad separately.

England’s full squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup:

1 Jordan Pickford, 2 Ezri Konsa, 3 Nico O’Reilly, 4 Declan Rice, 5 John Stones, 6 Marc Guehi, 7 Bukayo Saka, 8 Elliot Anderson, 9 Harry Kane, 10 Jude Bellingham, 11 Marcus Rashford, 12 Tino Livramento, 13 Dean Henderson, 14 Jordan Henderson, 15 Dan Burn, 16 Kobbie Mainoo, 17 Morgan Rogers, 18 Anthony Gordon, 19 Ollie Watkins, 20 Noni Madueke, 21 Eberechi Eze, 22 Ivan Toney, 23 James Trafford, 24 Reece James, 25 Djed Spence, 26 Jarell Quansah.