England's World Cup 2026 squad and fixtures: Tuchel targets end of 60-year wait

Thomas Tuchel’s England will begin their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia in Dallas, renewing a rivalry that ended in heartbreak at the 2018 semi-final stage. England qualified in commanding fashion, winning all eight matches, scoring 22 goals and keeping a clean sheet in every game.

Group C Fixtures

England’s opening Group C match is a rematch of that painful 2018 semi-final defeat to Croatia — a 2-1 extra-time loss — giving Tuchel’s side an immediate chance at redemption. Their second fixture is a first-ever competitive meeting with Ghana, in Boston; the two nations have only previously met in a 2011 Wembley friendly, where Andy Carroll’s goal was cancelled out by a stoppage-time strike from Asamoah Gyan. England close out the group stage at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against another familiar opponent, a side they dismantled 6-1 thanks to a Harry Kane hat-trick at the 2018 World Cup.

This tournament marks Tuchel’s first major international competition as a manager, and he arrives with England having shown none of the fragility that defined their recent near-misses — back-to-back European Championship final defeats and a quarter-final exit at the last World Cup, where Kane missed a late penalty against France.

England’s World Cup 2026 Squad

Kane leads the attack after his most prolific club season to date at Bayern Munich, and will be joined in North America by tournament veterans Jordan Pickford and John Stones, both heading to their fifth major competition with England. Jordan Henderson has returned to the international fold, while Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka provide the creative and defensive backbone Tuchel has built his system around.

Marcus Rashford, now at Barcelona, earns his place alongside Ollie Watkins, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke in an attacking pool that gives Tuchel genuine depth and variety. Ivan Toney, based in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, also makes the cut.

The full 26-man squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Reece James (Chelsea), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

Forwards: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)