England takes on France later at the World Cup, with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing exits, but eyes already turning to the next major tournament: Euro 2028
13:33, 18 Jul 2026
England manager Thomas Tuchel during a World Cup press conference
England manager Thomas Tuchel during a World Cup press conference(Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Quite who the World Cup's third-place play-off game is meant to be for is still unclear, but England will take on France later in a clash that both sides would rather do without.
Ibrahima Konate, the former Liverpool center-back, said that no one on the French team wants to bother with the bronze match in Miami, just days after crashing out against Spain. The same, it can be presumed, is true of England after a late collapse proved costly against Argentina.
Thomas Tuchel appears to retain the backing of the English FA, despite falling down at the exact hurdle he was brought in to overcome, and soon all eyes will be on Euro 2028.
But having failed to take any Liverpool player to the World Cup this time around (the first England squad for a major tournament in four decades that this was the case), will that change next time?
Jarell Quansah, it seems fair to assume, will be in the next squad as long as he is fit, even if the same can be said of Levi Colwill. And with Liverpool having a buy-back clause in the deal that saw him move to Bayer Leverkusen, it is possible he could be back at Anfield by then too.
Getting more experience under his belt in Germany at the moment, Quansah was useful as a center-back and full-back option in the U.S., until his red card saw him hit with a two-game ban.
Tuchel will have one eye on Euro 2028
Tuchel will have one eye on Euro 2028(Image: Steph Chambers - FIFA via Getty Images)
In midfield, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson appear to have those roles locked down — even if Graeme Souness is unconvinced by them — but there is definitely an argument that Curtis Jones would have been more useful than Jordan Henderson.
Kobbie Mainoo and Alex Scott are among those who will be vying for a spot in the team as well, but Jones was a star at U21 level for his country and should be about to enter the prime years of his career.
Of course, much will depend on what the coming seasons look like for him at club level, though, with a big decision looming about where his future lies.
Perhaps the most likely current player to feature, however, is Rio Ngumoha. Tuchel and his coaching team were impressed by the Liverpool teenager in the pre-tournament preparations and he looks set to have a bright future.
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There has already been some chatter that Ngumoha could be called up for the September international break, even though it was (correctly) deemed too early for him to head to the World Cup at 17.
And if Ngumoha can properly click in the next couple of years, the clamor for him to not just head to the tournament, but to start, will be substantial. It is realistic to think that the Liverpool ace could be in contention.
Harry Kane will be 34 by the time the next major international tournament starts, but aside from that, the rest of the England roster is relatively youthful and is therefore likely to be fairly similar.
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Those who missed out this time, like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Morgan Gibbs-White and Phil Foden, will want to make their case. Of the Liverpool contingent, though, Ngumoha looks like one with the potential to take the next step, and Quansah and Jones potentially too.