Now the Premier League season is almost complete, the England World Cup squad announcement begins to take centre stage. And with the tournament edging closer, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel will have a good idea of what players are heading to North America.
Here at BetVictor News, we run you through all the vital info such as when the final squad will be determined, the predicted players who’ll be on the plane as well as a closer look at some fringe options for Tuchel to consider.
Furthermore, we will provide a deep dive on the tournament itself, including the host cities, key dates and a run down of all the the popular World Cup markets. This includes the World Cup top goalscorer odds which sees Three Lions skipper Harry Kane installed as the 5/1 joint-favourite alongside Kylian Mbappe.
When Is The England World Cup Squad Announcement?
The England World Cup squad announcement will take place on May 22, 2026 at 10am BST. The full list of players will be confirmed via the Official England Football App. Official England football pages on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook will also cover the release.
How Many Players Will England Take To The 2026 World Cup?
England are expected to name their full allocation of 26 players for the World Cup. However, competing nations do have the option to name anywhere between 23-26 players. Ever participant will have to name at least three goalkeepers.
England Players Definitely On The Plane For The 2026 World Cup
Although nothing is guaranteed, it’s more than safe to assume that the likes of Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane are locked in.
England Fringe Players For The 2026 World Cup
BetVictor’s England player specials market contains a number of names who can be considered as almost there or fringe players to make the cut. They include the likes of James Trafford, Aaron Ramsdale, Reece James, Ben White, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dan Burn, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ivan Toney.
Dark Horses To Make England’s 2026 World Cup Squad
The England World Cup squad announcement has been known to conjure up a surprise or too. Think of Theo Walcott for the 2006 edition in Germany as an example. Perhaps the biggest dark horse would be Arsenal’s Max Dowman at 12/1.
Bournemouth’s Alex Scott at 6/1 offers decent potential. As does Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at 12/1. Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes at 9/2 is also worth considering. The same can be said of veteran Brighton star Danny Welbeck. He can be backed at 4/1.
Predicted England 2026 World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Pickford, D Henderson, Trafford
Defenders: James, Livramento, Stones, Guehi, Konsa, Burn, Maguire, Lewis-Skelly, O’Reilly
Midfielders: Anderson, J Henderson, Wharton, Rice, Mainoo
Forwards: Saka, Eze, Palmer, Bellingham, Rogers, Gordon, Rashford
Strikers: Kane, Watkins
2026 World Cup Host Nations And City
The 2026 edition of the World Cup will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA. A total of 48 nations will contest football’s greatest extravaganza whereby a total of 104 matches will be contested throughout the following cities:
Canada:
- Toronto
- Vancouver
Mexico:
- Mexico City
- Guadalajara
- Monterrey
United States:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Dallas
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York/New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Seattle
England will play their group games in Dallas, Boston and New York/New Jersey.
2026 World Cup Dates
The 2026 World Cup will kick-off on June 11 when Mexico host South Africa at the Azteca, Mexico City. Which is actually a repeat of the opening game at the 2010 tournament. The final will be played on July 19 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in Rutherford, NJ, USA.
England 2026 World Cup Fixtures
England will once again be aiming to defy the World Cup odds by going all the way for the first time since 1966. As it stands, the Three Lions are 6/1 in the World Cup outright betting market. That means they are third favourites behind Spain (9/2) and France (5/1).
However, before Thomas Tuchel and co. can start thinking about glory, the German will need to lead his troops past Croatia, Ghana and Panama in the group stages. If England wins Group L, their potential route to the final could include Senegal (R32), Mexico (R16), Brazil (QF) and Argentina (SF). Les Bleus are possible opponents in the final.
England group stage fixtures:
- Croatia – 9pm BST – June 17
- Ghana – 9pm BST – June 23
- Panama – 10pm BST – June 27
Key 2026 World Cup Dates
- Group stages contested between June 11- June 27
- Round of 32 contested between June 28 – July 3
- Round of 16 contested between July 4 – July 7
- Quarter-finals contested between July 9 – July 11
- Semi-finals contested between July 14-July 15
- Third place play-off contested on July 18
- Final contested on July 19
BetVictor’s 2026 World Cup Markets
BetVictor already has a number of 2026 World Cup markets onsite. They include all of the individual markets for the group stage matches (with BTTS, Under/Over markets etc), the World Cup winner, the World Cup top goalscorer as well as the group stage bet builders. More markets will be getting added in the coming days as the tournament edges closer.
Most notably, new customers can get an enhanced price of 100/1 for England to win the tournament (displays as 6/1, will show as 100/1 on the betslip upon successful registration).
If you intend to bet on the 2026 World Cup then please take the time to read through BetVictor’s safe and responsible gambling page which will provide good advice on how to stay in control when betting on football.
Any betting decisions should be made responsibly and there are no guarantees when it comes to match outcomes. All odds correct as of 1pm May 20, 2026.
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