As Thomas Tuchel watched the World Cup 2026 draw unfold from the Kennedy Center - after Donald Trump's Peace Prize win and a joint-display from Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger - his England troops were no doubt tuning in intently from the comfort of their own sofas.
The Three Lions became the first European nation to book their spot at next year's Mundial in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where they will face one regular UEFA nemesis, one African hopeful and one 2018 foe for the right to advance to the knockout stages.
Bidding to deny England top spot in Group L will firstly be Luka Modric's Croatia, who reached the final of the 2018 edition at the expense of the Three Lions and also denied Steve McClaren's side a spot at the 2008 European Championships.
Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo's Ghana could also cause plenty of problems for Tuchel's side at the back, while Panama may simply aim to improve on their 2018 showing against Gareth Southgate's England, who decimated the Red Tide 6-1 in Russia seven years ago.
Here, Sports Mole selects its possible England XI for their first game of the 2026 World Cup.
© Sports Mole
While Dean Henderson may now be showing off his shiny FA Cup winners' medal and recently helped Crystal Palace embark on their longest-ever unbeaten run, Jordan Pickford's status as England's undisputed number one should not come under any threat.
Pickford has made a series of eye-catching saves for Everton of late, and there is no danger of him missing out on the World Cup starting side unless an injury occurs.
Moving on from the days of Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw, Tuchel could face the best kind of dilemmas in the full-back areas, where Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, Nico O'Reilly and Reece James will all put their names in the hat.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is currently being kept out of the Arsenal XI, though, so his spot in the squad is far from secure.
While Lewis-Skelly may have been the favourite prior to being forced out of the Arsenal team, O'Reilly has since emerged as a regular for Manchester City, and the Citizens star is likely to be first in line for the left-back role despite the impressive form of Lewis Hall.
On the opposite side, James's next injury is seemingly always just around the corner, but providing that the right-back is fit, he will be in the England XI this summer, especially as Trent Alexander-Arnold has not been included in the latest squad.
A fit Marc Guehi is a certainty in defence, and there is a chance that he could be joined in the middle of the back four by Man City teammate John Stones.
Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa, who has been a rock at the back for the Villans in past campaigns, could yet emerge as Guehi's most likely partner, while Harry Maguire has been recalled to the squad, but Tuchel is a huge admirer of Stones.
It would be fair to say that a final decision on the back four is yet to be made, though, especially as Stones has just 15 appearances to his name during the 2025-26 campaign.
Even a 70% Declan Rice would be one of the first names on the teamsheet, and as Elliot Anderson is now making waves in the England team, expect him to emerge as a serious contender to start alongside the Arsenal man - much to Adam Wharton's dismay.
A Rice-Anderson double pivot would allow Jude Bellingham to strut his stuff in the number 10 slot - even if Morgan Rogers is playing better for his national team right now - likely with Bukayo Saka and the rejuvenated Marcus Rashford either side of him as Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Phil Foden are restricted to the fringes.
Already boasting eight World Cup goals from the 2018 and 2022 editions, Harry Kane needs to strike three times in 2026 to become England's all-time leading scorer at the men's tournament, surpassing Gary Lineker in the process.
Kane is one of the certainties in the England starting side, with the captain having another incredible season at Bayern Munich.
The fact that England do not have a reliable back-up for Kane is a problem, though, and it would not be a surprise to see the likes of Gordon used through the middle at certain stages of the World Cup if the Three Lions require a different threat.
Ollie Watkins has missed out on a spot in the latest squad, and it will now seemingly be an uphill task for the Aston Villa striker to be selected for this summer's tournament.
As it stands, Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are the other forward options available to Tuchel.