Ngumoha and Dowman IN - Predicting England's squad for the 2030 World Cup

Ngumoha and Dowman IN - Predicting England's squad for the 2030 World Cup England enjoyed their best ever World Cup finish on foreign soil in 2026, thanks to their win over France in the ‘Bronze Final’, but the wait for a second star goes on for another four years following a dismal semi-final defeat to Argentina. It remains to be seen if Thomas Tuchel will still be in charge when the Three Lions next take to the field in a World Cup fixture and a host of players who featured in 2026 are likely to have already played their last ever game at the tournament. Below, sources attempts to predict England’s 26-man squad for the 2030 World Cup. Goalkeepers James Trafford, Carl Rushworth, Dean Henderson. Jordan Pickford is now 32 years old and while he could retain his place as the preferred option for Euro 2028, it’s highly unlikely that he will ever play at the World Cup again. The Everton shot-stopper has been a fantastic servant for England, but it’s time for the Three Lions to integrate his replacement and Manchester City’s James Trafford is the most obvious candidate. He needs to leave the Etihad Stadium for regular game time in order for this to happen, of course, however Trafford is a superb goalkeeper and at just 23 years old, he will be in his prime when the next World Cup kicks off. His back-up may prove to be Carl Rushworth, who enjoyed a sensational season on loan at Coventry City as they achieved promotion back to the Premier League under Frank Lampard last term. The 25-year-old is expected to leave Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent deal this summer and while he may never establish himself as an England regular, he could be Trafford’s back-up in 2030. It’s hard to predict the third-choice goalkeeper, but Dean Henderson will still only be 33 years old at the next World Cup and his experience could be vitally important alongside Trafford and Rushworth, so he gets the nod over James Beadle and Aaron Ramsdale. Defenders Levi Colwill, Josh Acheampong, , Charlie Cresswell, Valentino Livramento, Reece James, Lewis Hall, Nico O’Reilly. John Stones is likely to have played his final game at the World Cup and while Ezri Konsa’s international career is still in its infancy, he is 28 years old and there is a chance that he may have been fazed out of England’s team by the time the next tournament rolls around. Chelsea star Levi Colwill will, however, have established himself as a consistent starter for the Three Lions by that stage, and he could be partnered by his current club team-mate Josh Acheampong, who is extremely highly-rated and is already a regular at Under-21 level. Acheampong can also play at right-back, but his future lies in the centre of defence and it’s likely that he will be in the conversation to start for England at the next World Cup. Meanwhile, Marc Guehi will keep his place from 2026 and the centre-back roster may be completed by Charlie Cresswell, who currently plays for Toulouse. The 23-year-old, who played a pivotal role as England won the U21 Euros in 2025, is a physically-imposing central defender and with Harry Maguire and Dan Burn set to be out of the picture by 2030, he is the next in line to take on this role. At right-back, it’s equally interesting. Trent Alexander-Arnold will be 31 years old in 2030 and while his international career may not be over, it remains to be seen if he will work his way back into favour, and his age may count against him. So, he has missed out. Instead, Valentino Livramento could establish himself as England’s preferred right-back at the next World Cup, although he needs to fix his ongoing injury issues as this could soon prove to be a major problem. Reece James, who is 26 years old, will also be in competition for a starting berth if he is able to remain fairly injury-free over the next four years. Djed Spence, one of England’s heroes in 2026, has been omitted from our predicted squad for 2030. At left-back, Nico O’Reilly and Lewis Hall are expected to battle for a starting berth once again, despite the fact the former may well have moved into a midfield role at club level within the next four years. The likes of Jarell Quansah, Ayden Heaven and Stephen Mfuni will also be in the conversation to be included in the squad. Midfielders Myles Lewis-Skelly, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo, , , Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham. Jordan Henderson won’t be in England’s squad for the 2030 World Cup, that’s for sure, but the likes of