England’s squad numbers for a World Cup often give an indication as to who the manager is leaning towards starting, with Thomas Tuchel tasked with leading the Three Lions glory
England’s squad numbers the World Cup have been leaked – and they contain major hints as to which starting line-up Thomas Tuchel will name against Croatia. The Three Lions begin their campaign at 9pm UK time on Wednesday, June 17 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
Tuchel’s side will then face Ghana at the same time on Tuesday, June 22 before facing Panama in a 10pm kick-off on Saturday, June 26. The England boss named his squad for the World Cup just under a fortnight ago, causing huge controversy with his decisions.
Now England’s squad numbers have emerged, hinting at Tuchel’s first-choice XI. John Stones, despite his minimal game time for Manchester City this season, will be No.5 at the tournament, pointing towards him partnering No.6 Marc Guehi at centre-back.
Nico O’Reilly has been given the No.3 shirt, suggesting that he’ll start at left-back. Elliot Anderson is England’s No.8, likely rubber-stamping his position in midfield next to No.4 Declan Rice.
WORLD CUP LEGENDS: The stars who lit up football’s greatest tournament – Buy the Special Edition today
Marcus Rashford has been given the No.11 shirt which could mean that he’s ahead of Anthony Gordon (No.18) for a spot in attack. Of course, numbers don’t mean everything. Reece James has taken his favoured No.24 shirt but is expected to start at right-back.
Ezri Konsa, likely Stones’ biggest competition at centre-back, has been given the No.2 shirt which is normally reserved for the starting right-back. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham keeps the No.10 despite Morgan Rogers (No.17) frequently being ahead of him in the pecking order during Tuchel’s reign.
A 21-man squad touched down in Miami for England’s pre-tournament camp on Monday, with the five remaining members given additional time off after reaching European finals with their respective clubs. Dean Henderson helped Crystal Palace win the Conference League before Arsenal stars Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze lost the Champions League final.
Would you make any changes? Have your say in the comments section.
England are set to play two warm-up friendlies before the World Cup begins, both of which will take place in Florida. The Three Lions firstly take on New Zealand at 9pm on Saturday and Costa Rica at the same time next Wednesday.
Tuchel may well experiment during the friendlies and, more importantly, manage the amount of minutes that his biggest stars play. It’s unclear whether the four young players chosen to join training in Miami – Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, Fulham star Josh King, Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri – will be involved.
England squad numbers in full
- Jordan Pickford
- Ezri Konsa
- Nico O’Reilly
- Declan Rice
- John Stones
- Marc Guehi
- Bukayo Saka
- Elliot Anderson
- Harry Kane
- Jude Bellingham
- Marcus Rashford
- Tino Livramento
- Dean Henderson
- Jordan Henderson
- Dan Burn
- Kobbie Mainoo
- Morgan Rogers
- Antony Gordon
- Ollie Waktins
- Noni Madueke
- Eberechi Eze
- Ivan Toney
- James Trafford
- Reece James
- Djed Spence
- Jarell Quansah
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us – and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
