England’s squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup have been confirmed ahead of the tournament getting underway.
The Three Lions are in a group with Croatia, Ghana and Panama in the USA this summer, and will have high hopes of ending 60 years of hurt.
And, ahead of the action starting, boss Thomas Tuchel has dropped a hint over his preferred starting XI, with England’s official squad numbers published by FIFA, although the FA are yet to announce them.
Jordan Pickford has unsurprisingly been handed the No 1 shirt by the German, with the Everton keeper set to play at his fifth major tournament for the Three Lions.
Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly are No 2 and No 3 respectively, suggesting they may be Tuchel’s first-choice full-backs.
However, Reece James, who many expect to start at right back, has the No 24 shirt, which may be his preference given that is also the number he wears for Chelsea.
England’s squad numbers for the World Cup have been confirmed ahead of the tournament
England’s 26-man squad undertook their first training session in Florida on Tuesday
Jude Bellingham has been handed the No 10 shirt ahead of Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze
Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson are expected to start in central midfield and they were assigned the No 4 and No 8 shirts respectively, while Harry Kane will have No 9 on his kit.
Marc Guehi has been an England regular over the past few years and he takes the No 6 shirt, while Saka will wear No 7 as expected given he is likely to start on the right wing.
But with John Stones being handed No 5, Marcus Rashford taking No 11 and Jude Bellingham set to wear No 10, those could be three big selection hints from Tuchel.
Bellingham is vying with Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze to play in attacking midfield, but those two stars will wear No 17 and No 21 respectively.
Meanwhile, Stones has barely played over the past two seasons due to injury, yet by being given No 5, it suggests that Tuchel could start him at centre back with Guehi.
Rashford is battling it out with Anthony Gordon for a place on the left wing, and the former Newcastle star will take No 18, implying that the Man United loanee is ahead of him in Tuchel’s thoughts.
Elsewhere, Dean Henderson’s No 13 demonstrates his status as second-choice goalkeeper over No 23 James Trafford.
The likes of Tino Livramento, Jordan Henderson, Dan Burn, Kobbie Mainoo, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney, Djed Spence and Jarell Quansah are all also expected to start on the bench at the beginning of the tournament.
That status has been reflected in the numbers they have been given, with the lowest being Livramento’s No 12.
