Our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team previews start with a look at England.
The Three Lions lost the final of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, having reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated by France.
The expectation is that they should go deep into the tournament, but could the appointment of Thomas Tuchel perhaps be the key to finally achieving glory?
In these country-by-country guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, reviewing the road to the World Cup and more.
- READ MORE: How to play the FIFA World Cup Fantasy 2026 game
- READ MORE: FIFA World Cup Fantasy 2026: FPLReactions’ first draft + 12th Man
SQUAD
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
It was a perfect qualification campaign for England, who won all their group games and kept a clean sheet in every single match.
This accomplishment makes them only the second team ever to win all their World Cup qualifiers without conceding.
Defensively, the Three Lions were particularly sound, recording the lowest non-penalty expected goals (xG) conceded figure among every nation in qualifying (0.22 per 90 minutes).
Further forward, Tuchel’s men scored 22 goals and placed seventh overall for xG, with an average of 2.10 per 90 minutes, which is captured below.
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFYING
*Note: the xG in the above table is non-penalty
Talisman Harry Kane ($10.5m) was the primary goal threat, racking up eight goals across the same number of matches – only Erling Haaland ($10.5m) scored more in qualifying.
He also topped his teammates for xG and non-penalty shots, with 5.55 and 32 respectively.
In contrast, Jude Bellingham ($8.3m) failed to score, despite taking 14 shots and generating 1.37 xG.
The only other player except Kane to score more than once was Eberechi Eze ($8.0m), who netted three times.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFYING
Declan Rice ($7.0m) came out on top for creativity, with four assists from 2.47 xG assisted, proving why he will be one of the first names on Tuchel’s teamsheet this summer.
Just over half of his key passes arrived from corners and free-kicks.
Phil Foden was the only other player to assist more than once (two).
However, Bellingham, Marcus Rashford ($7.5m) and Morgan Rogers ($7.2m) all surpassed him for key passes, with 10 each.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result (England first) | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 March 2026 | Uruguay (h) | 1-1 | White |
| 31 March 2026 | Japan (h) | 0-1 |
In the March internationals, England were really poor in both matches, managing only a draw against Uruguay before suffering a narrow defeat to Japan.
A mostly second-string XI failed to deliver in the first encounter, with Rashford the only player who looked like he could make something happen. Ben White, who came on as a sub, scored and gave away a penalty.
The situation further deteriorated a few days later, as England’s full-backs failed to contain Japan. Elliot Anderson ($6.5m) hit the bar, which was as close as the hosts came to scoring.
Above: England’s line-ups v Uruguay (left) and Japan (right) in the March internationals
TOP FANTASY PICKS
As one of the bookies’ favourites to win the World Cup Golden Boot this summer (see below), Kane is clearly the standout attacker.
The penalty taker enters the World Cup in superb form, having netted 61 club goals across 2025/26.
He’s also been England’s top shot taker at both Euro 2024 and the 2022 World Cup, with 18 and 12 respectively.
Kane will surely be the main man for England, but who else?
Whoever nails down the ‘10’ role, be it Bellingham or Rogers, could do well, particularly against Panama in Matchday 3 (see image below), while Bukayo Saka ($9.5m) was arguably England’s best player at the previous World Cup in Qatar, with one goal and an assist.
Rice is more of your slow and steady type, but he is nailed-on to start, carries assist potential and could pose a threat to the free-kick/chances created bonus, having averaged 2.95 key passes per 90 minutes in qualifying:
With Anderson anchoring the midfield, Rice might also be given a bit more freedom to push forward in open play.
At the back, the defence sometimes has question marks, but only really against tougher opposition.
Reece James ($5.2m) brings creativity from his right-back role, whereas Marc Guehi ($5.1m) presents a potential threat at set-pieces.
Combining the strengths of both players, perhaps Nico O’Reilly ($4.7m) is the best solution, especially if he can carry his club form over to the national team.
The experienced Jordan Pickford ($4.8m) is another option in goal.
