The day of reckoning has arrived, and after much deliberation, Gareth Southgate has named his 26-man England squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The Three Lions start their Qatar campaign against Iran on the 21st of November, just eleven days away, and now supporters of the country will know exactly who will be charged with the responsibility of bringing an end to a lengthy drought.
England last won the World Cup way back in 1966, when they were the host nation, and ever since, a series of coaches have attempted to bring the trophy back to the country, and now Southgate is set to make his second attempt as national team manager, having guided the nation to a semi-final finish in Russia four years ago.
Who Made It, Who Did Not?
England are considered, by most bookmakers, as the fourth favourite to win the World Cup, with the World Cup betting odds that see them behind just Brazil, France, and Argentina and ahead of Spain and Germany.
It is the ultimate honour for a player to make it to represent their home country in a major tournament, and the 26 players in Southgate will be looking to do their best to make sure football is indeed ‘coming home’.
Among those who missed out were AC Milan defender Fiyako Tomori, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen, and Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Meanwhile, Man City pair Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips are both included despite both being currently recovering from injuries.
Marcus Rashford has been named in the squad despite having not played for England since the delayed Euro 2020 final. Rashford’s club colleague Jadon Sancho didn’t make the cut, chiefly due to the youngster’s poor run of form. AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham is a player who may feel aggrieved about missing out, though the former Chelsea man hasn’t been very consistent on Serie A duty this season.
He is joined by Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson as the main backup options to captain Harry Kane.
Man City players are in abundance in the squad, with five of Pep Guardiola’s men named. Three players each from Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle United, two from Everton, Tottenham, and Liverpool, and one from Leicester City, Borussia Dortmund, and West Ham, respectively, make up the 26 that will be on the flight to Qatar.
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards: James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)