Summary
Only 5 of the 11 England players predicted to play in the 2026 World Cup back in 2021 were picked by new manager Thomas Tuchel.
Young talents like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall could emerge in the left-back position due to injuries impacting Ryan Sessegnon.
Mason Mount's big-money move to Manchester United has led to a bit-part role, while Mason Greenwood has had off-field troubles, impacting their international inclusion.
Football never stops, with players coming and going faster than tourists at Gatwick Airport. Predicting where a team will be in a year - let alone five - is nearly impossible. Yet, that’s exactly what FourFourTwo attempted back in 2021 when they forecasted England’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
At the time, Gareth Southgate’s tenure was in full swing, fresh off England’s heartbreaking loss to Italy in the delayed Euro 2020 final. Kalvin Phillips was a national treasure, the population was clamouring for then-Aston Villa star Jack Grealish to see more minutes, and Cole Palmer had yet to make his professional debut.
Fast forward to today, and the landscape looks starkly different. England have since endured a World Cup quarter-final exit and another European Championship final heartbreak. And now, the Three Lions are set to embark on a new journey under their second-ever non-English manager, Thomas Tuchel. With that in mind, how accurate was FourFourTwo's 2021 prediction of England’s squad five years down the line? Hint: only five of the 11 were picked in the new manager's first squad announcement.
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Goalkeeper & Defence
Dean Henderson; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben White, Marc Guehi, Ryan Sessegnon
The reasoning FourFourTwo gave for picking Dean Henderson was the fact Jordan Pickford will be 32 years old at the next World Cup. It's fair to give them the benefit of the doubt but, right now, it doesn't look like age is taking its toll on the Sunderland native whatsoever, and it looks like the Everton shot-stopper is set to keep his position, though Henderson is in with a very good shot of being his understudy as his form at Crystal Palace has led him to successive call-ups from interim manager Lee Carsley and again in Tuchel's first squad announcement.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, easily among the best right-backs in the world these days, was perhaps the easiest defensive prediction for England’s future. Overlooked at times under Southgate, he now looks set to thrive under Tuchel’s bold tactics, having claimed three Man of the Match awards in his last two international breaks. Ben White, meanwhile, exiled himself from England duty in 2022 after a clash with Steve Holland but is now open to a return, giving him a strong chance of reclaiming a spot. As for Marc Guehi, his standout performances at Euro 2024 have all but secured his place in the squad for years to come.
The same optimism, however, cannot be extended to Ryan Sessegnon. Once touted as a future star, the former Tottenham wonderkid has endured a torrid time with injuries, managing just six Premier League appearances this season while at boyhood club Fulham. As a result, the left-back mantle is more likely to be taken up by a generation too young for FourFourTwo to predict, with emerging talents like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lewis Hall ready to step into the spotlight.
Midfield
Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden
On paper, few midfield trios in world football seem better equipped to end England’s 60-year silverware drought than Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden. Back in 2021, they were touted as the future architects of a new golden generation. Nearly five years on, they’ve lived up to the billing.
Yet, one player who could shake things up is Cole Palmer. Virtually unknown just a few years ago, the Manchester City academy graduate - now a Chelsea superstar - has racked up 36 goals and 17 assists across the last two Premier League seasons. Whether that’s enough to earn him a starting spot over Foden, who undoubtedly benefited from Southgate’s loyalty at Euro 2024, remains to be seen.
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Another pressing question is whether a system player will be needed in midfield. Big names don’t always guarantee rounded performances, and one of Tuchel’s predecessor’s biggest challenges was finding someone willing to do the dirty work. In 2021, that role belonged to Kalvin Phillips, while Kobbie Mainoo emerged as a reliable stopgap in 2024.
Attack
Bukayo Saka, Mason Greenwood, Mason Mount
FourFourTwo's predictions had to go downhill at some point, and that sneaky feeling proved correct when they pieced together their front three. Of course, the choice of Bukayo Saka on the right wing was easy, and the Arsenal creator has been one of the first names on the team sheets since he first broke onto the scene as a teenager.
But they couldn't have been more wrong in forecasting a continuation of the rise to prominence that Mason Mount and Mason Greenwood were making in the aftermath of Euro 2020. While Mount made the fatal mistake of agreeing to a big-money move to Manchester United, where he has played a bit-part role amid the club's continued demise, Greenwood's off-field troubles have meant any return to the international setup for him would be met with a barrage of protests.
With 15 goals and three assists in 25 Ligue 1 matches for Marseille this term, quality isn't an issue. But Greenwood's career took a dramatic turn after his arrest in January 2022 on charges including assault and coercive control. Man United suspended him, and although the charges were later dropped in February 2023, the club conducted its own internal investigation before letting him go. That said, Harry Kane also remains one of the best strikers in the world right now, so there's no question the Bayern Munich forward will still lead the line regardless. See FourFourTwo's predicted lineup below:
Eng pred 2021
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 15/03/2025)