The 2034 World Cup is still nine years away and we’ve tried our best to predict what England‘s XI could look like in that tournament.
Current regulars like Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford and John Stones will have retired by 2034, paving the way for a new generation of players.
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, here’s our very early prediction of what England’s XI could look like in Saudi Arabia.
GK: James Trafford
In 2034, Trafford will be around the same age as Pickford is heading into the 2026 World Cup.
By that point, the Manchester City shot-stopper should have plenty of caps under his belt as he looks like the obvious heir to Pickford’s throne.
RB: Rico Lewis
Come 2034, Lewis should theoretically be in the prime years of his career as he’ll be approaching 30.
England have a long history of producing quality right-backs and Lewis certainly has the technical skills to become an England regular in the future.
CB: Josh Acheampong
“Acheampong, every time I see the kid play, so much potential for such a young player,” is how John Obi Mikel described the Chelsea youngster on his podcast.
“He has so many years ahead of him. He’s just going to improve and get stronger, physically as well. He needs to get stronger.
“He needs to get in the gym. If he does that, he’s going to be a brilliant player.”
We can’t argue with the description and given he’s currently only 19, he should be in the prime of his career come 2034.
CB: Levi Colwill
We could’ve gone for a number of players in this role, but we’ve got a sneaky feeling that Colwill will still be involved in the England set-up in 2034.
The Chelsea defender will only be in his early thirties when the tournament in Saudi Arabia kicks off, given he’s currently only 22.
Being slightly younger than the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite and Jarell Quansah, we’ve given Colwill the nod in our XI.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly
One of the most obvious picks in this XI is Lewis-Skelly, who will be 28 years old at the 2034 World Cup.
He’s already won five caps for England since making his debut earlier this year and if he continues to develop at his current rate, he could become one of the best full-backs in world football.
CM: Adam Wharton
For many, Wharton is already good enough to be a regular starter in the England XI.
By the time the 2034 World Cup rolls around, he’ll have likely stepped into the role of Declan Rice, who will be in his mid-thirties by then.
CM: Jude Bellingham
Given how many England caps Bellingham has already racked up by the age of 22, there’s a good chance that he’ll retire as England’s most capped player of all time.
Come 2034, he’ll still only be 31 years old, which seems absolutely mental given how long he’s already been around.
Other honourable mentions for this position include Kobbie Mainoo, Archie Gray and Harrison Armstrong.
RM: Max Dowman
With Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka both approaching their mid-thirties in 2034, we’ve given the nod to Dowman in our XI.
The 15-year-old will only be 24 at the 2034 World Cup and should have plenty of experience under his belt at that point.
“He’s the best player England has produced since Wayne Rooney,” an unnamed scout recently told the Daily Mail.
“When you can play at this level right now at 15, he’s younger than Rooney was (when he broke through) and Rooney was more of a man physically than Max.
“He’s a bit of a freak! It’s important how we look after him and develop him.”
CAM: Ethan Nwaneri
The 18-year-old is yet to make his senior debut for England, but he’s shown plenty of promise when playing for the Under-21s.
Capable of playing through the middle or out wide, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Nwaneri nail down the No.10 spot in the England camp come 2034.
He’s already scored nine senior goals for Arsenal and is only going to get better between now and the 2034 World Cup.
LM: Rio Ngumoha
The sky is the limit for Ngumoha, who will be 26 years old at the 2034 World Cup.
“I truly believe I can win the Ballon d’Or one day,” Ngumoha told Lovell Soccer’s YouTube channel last year.
“I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game.”
With his pace and dynamism on the left-hand side, he could be a crucial player for England in the years to come.
ST: Divin Mubama
Predicting who will lead the line for England in 2034 is probably the toughest prediction within this entire squad.
It’s safe to say that there’s not an obvious favourite for this role at the moment, so we’ve gone with Mubama, who’s currently starring for the Under-21s.
The 20-year-old is on the books at Manchester City and is spending the 2025-26 campaign out on loan with Championship outfit Stoke.
He’s done well for the Potters in his first nine matches and given he’ll be 29 at the 2034 World Cup, he’s certainly got a chance of making the squad if he continues to develop at his current rate.
England predicted XI for 2034 World Cup
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