England World Cup 2018 profile: Ones to watch, best bets and more
All you need to know about Gareth Southgate's young Three Lions squad as they bid for World Cup glory in Russia.
England
- FIFA World Ranking: 13
- Sky Bet outright winner odds: 16/1
- Best Bet: Harry Kane England's top scorer at Evens
- World Cup appearances: 14
- Best World Cup finish: Winners (1966)
- Nickname: Three Lions
Coach - Gareth Southgate: Raised eyebrows when he was given the job, but Southgate has won over many by his clear thinking, obvious gameplan and willingness to pick players on form and trust in the younger players. He knows the young players well from his time coaching England through various levels and it is hoped he can get the best out of them as a group, unlike previous managers.
Legend - Geoff Hurst: There have been some amazing players pull on the Three Lions jersey over the years, but Sir Geoff is still the main man having netted his famous hat-trick in the 1966 World Cup final. Until England can lift more silverware, the man who sparked the immortal line "They think it's all over - It is now!" will always be England's ultimate hero.
Star Man - Harry Kane: No surprises here but a goalscorer like Kane could take any team deep into a tournament if given the right service. He was pipped by Mo Salah in the Premier League this season but topped 40 total goals for the first time so should be England's main weapon.
Did you know? One of the most unsurprising World Cup stats sees England tied for the most penalty shootout defeats at the competition. Only Italy can match England's three penalty heartbreaks, coming in 1990 (West Germany), 1998 (Argentina) and 2006 (Portugal).
Fun Fact: England have only scored more than one goal in a World Cup finals game once in their last ten - in a 2-2 draw with Sweden in Germany 2006. In those ten games England have won just two, losing three and drawing five.
Qualifying: Another routine campaign in qualifying for England, who won eight and drew two of their ten games to top the standings.
Fixtures: Tunisia (7pm, June 18, Volgograd), Panama (1pm, June 24, Nizhny Novgorod), Belgium (7pm, June 28, Kaliningrad)
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Dele Alli, Eric Dier (both Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).
Stand-by: Tom Heaton, James Tarkowski (both Burnley), Lewis Cook (Bournemouth), Jake Livemore (West Brom) and Adam Lallana (Liverpool).
England Profile
It looks a two-horse race in Group G with England 11/10 to win the group behind favourites Belgium, as Gareth Southgate's team arrive in Russia without too much pressure.
Their best World Cup finish is still 1966, where England won as tournament hosts beating West Germany 4-2 after extra-time.
The appointment of Southgate as Three Lions boss looks like a sign of a change of plan by the FA and the former international defender has not been afraid to drop big names and given younger players a chance.
As a result England arrive with one of the youngest and most inexperienced squads in the entire World Cup.
England's most recent performance in the World Cup was a huge disappointment in 2014, where they earned just one point in failing to make the knockout stages from a group alongside Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
Who to watch out for
Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who will captain the team in Russia, scored 30 Premier League goals this term and has won two of the past three Premier League Golden Boot awards.
Raheem Sterling achieved his best ever goals and assists tallies during Manchester City’s title-winning run, scoring 18 times and accruing 11 assists. His pace and direct running can stun and intimidate defenders and his improving final product provides a threat to any team.
How did they qualify?
England qualified top of their group, winning eight games, drawing two and losing none, although it was an eventful ride both on and off the field.
England haven’t lost a qualification game since 2009, but they needed a late Kane goal to salvage a 2-2 draw in Scotland to keep that run going.
Off the field, manager Sam Allardyce was in charge for just one game before leaving his post after just 67 days in charge following a newspaper sting operation.
Any interesting facts about England?
England is renowned for its love of tea, and it is estimated that people consume more tea per capita than any other nation on the planet.
London has hosted the Olympic Games three times, more times than any other city, along with two major football tournaments.
Despite not being known for its luxurious coastline, nowhere in the UK is further than around 75 miles from the sea.
Windsor Castle, which hosted the most recent Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is the oldest residence currently still being used by members of any Royal family in the world.
The iconic Big Ben is actually the bell inside the clock tower, not the clock itself.
Any famous football moments?
England's third goal in the 1966 World Cup final remains one of the most controversial in football history because of the debate about whether the ball crossed the line or not.
Paul Gascoigne’s individual goal against Scotland at Euro 96 helped propel England to the semi-finals, their joint best finish at a European Championships.
David Beckham’s injury-time equaliser against Greece in 2001 sent them through to the 2002 World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea, sparking wild scenes at Old Trafford.