Who exactly is our best team, our best 11 in 2026.
So as I smashed my Fastasy Premier League mini leagues again this season, I started thinking about how you’d actually build an England side if you stripped away reputation, nostalgia, social media hype, and all the endless “he’s world class” noise that follows certain players around (you know who you are).
Instead, I kept it simple.
Goals matter. Assists matter. Clean sheets matter too. Simple isn’t it for the best team.
For this little experiment, goals are worth 5 points, assists are worth 2, clean sheets are worth 5, and defenders or goalkeepers playing in teams that concede one goal or fewer per game get another 2 points.
Straight away, something interesting happens.
The side starts picking itself.
Not the most exciting England team. Not the most fashionable one either. But probably the one best built to survive international tournament football, which is often slow, tense, tactical, and decided by moments rather than domination.
The Formation
I’ve gone with a 4-3-3.
Not because it seems to be a trendy formation right now, but because it still gives the best balance between defensive shape and attacking threat.
Also, the England squad don’t spend enough time together to play complicated systems properly, so you need a structure players either play in today or can understand very quickly.
Also a good 4-3-3 played well naturally shifts shape during matches as you gain possession then defend.
Without the ball it should become compact and difficult to break down, plenty of pressing. With the ball, we need our forwards out wide to stretch the pitch while the midfielders push up and support the attack in a coordinated layer rather than chaos.
Most importantly, it stops England trying to squeeze four number tens into the same side and hoping for magic. Like we have done before.
My Initial Team
GK: Jordan Pickford
People still seem strangely reluctant to give Pickford proper credit, but England’s defensive record with him is excellent.
I think he actually suits tournament football. He’s vocal, aggressive, quick off his line, and usually reliable when the pressure rises. He also has that slightly unhinged goalkeeper energy that great international keepers seem to possess.
You don’t always need the world’s best goalkeeper. Sometimes you just need one who consistently turns into a nightmare to beat in tournament football.
RB: Kyle Walker
I don't like the guy, and there are technically better right-backs available.
But Walker still gets in because recovery pace saves goals.
International football becomes dangerous when games stretch late on. One loose pass, one tired midfielder, one counter attack, and suddenly a centre-back is isolated. Walker cleans up situations most defenders simply cannot recover from.
His experience matters too. England sides in the past have sometimes looked mentally fragile in big moments. Walker rarely does, and he has that "hoof it out" mentality that I love on the back line.
CB: John Stones
I hate to admit it because I hate his style of play, but England still look calmer when Stones plays.
He carries the ball well, often reads danger early, and can (on good days) give the whole side composure. International football is full of nervous clearances and rushed decisions. Stones slows games down when England need control. For me though he still loves to play the with the ball at his feet too much.
He also suits a back four far more naturally than some of England’s other centre-back options.
CB: Marc Guéhi
Not flashy. Not constantly discussed. Just dependable.
Guéhi feels like one of those players managers quietly trust because he does the boring bits properly. His positioning is good, he stays calm under pressure, and he rarely turns matches into unnecessary drama.
That matters more in tournaments than people admit.
LB: Lewis Hall
This is probably my boldest selection, but I've already spoken to a few lads at work today and he'd be in their teams too.
Hall gives England something they often lack from deeper areas: genuine energy and width without becoming reckless. Modern full-backs have to contribute going forward now (like old fashioned wing-backs). Sitting deep for 90 minutes just invites pressure.
Hall also looks very comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas, which England badly need against compact sides that like to push.
DM: Declan Rice
Automatic selection here, I'm not a fan of Arsenal, but they are a solid unit.
Rice does the ugly work that allows other players to shine. He covers space quickly, protects the defence, wins second balls, and stops transitions before they become dangerous; he also likes to sometimes play an attacking role when his teams are in control, he's never reckless about it.
And while I hate agreeing with a friend of mine, you're right Owen, you notice players like Rice most when they’re missing.
CM: Jude Bellingham
Bellingham is the complete modern tournament midfielder.
He scores goals, creates chances, carries the ball through pressure, and seems completely unfazed by big occasions. There’s also a physical edge to him that England sides have sometimes lacked in midfield.
He already plays like somebody who believes he belongs at the highest level. That confidence spreads through teams.
CM: Cole Palmer
This was the hardest call, he's not had the best domestic season, but he's a player that likes to be noticed, so he's on the ball a lot, and hes got a decent distribution.
Palmer is there for goals, assists, and the big moments.
Palmer also has something slightly unusual for a young player. Nothing about him seems rushed. He plays at his own pace, even when matches become frantic around him.
That calmness feels very useful in knockout football.
RW: Bukayo Saka
Saka is probably England’s most complete attacking player right now.
He's a very reliable player. He has some intelligent movement with and without the ball. He's solid defensively when needed, and just consistent.
He rarely disappears from matches completely, which is surprisingly rare for attacking players, especially at international level.
I suppose in one word, he's trustworthy.
ST: Harry Kane
I really wish he wasn't, but I think he's still England’s best striker my a mile.
He gets himself into excellent positions and the goals keep coming, he has a excellent passing range which causes problems for defenders dropping too deep.
There are quicker forwards available. But better finishers? Strikers that are pretty decent at set-pieces and hardly misses penalties ... probably not.
LW: Anthony Gordon
International football desperately needs runners, and boy can this lad run.
Too many technically gifted teams become slow because everyone wants the ball into feet (yes Liverpool and Spurs, I'm looking at you). Gordon stretches defences constantly, he runs beyond defenders, attacks space aggressively, and forces teams backwards.
All this creates room for Kane, Bellingham, and Palmer to operate centrally.
You can see it in defenders, there's something slightly irritating about playing against him.
So that's it
The interesting thing about building a side by simply scoring players is how quickly the balance started to show.
The best international football rarely goes to the prettiest side, it normally goes to the team that stays organised, survives difficult moments, and has enough quality to punish mistakes when they come along.
This England side feels closer to that than some of the wildly attacking versions people keep trying to build on paper every summer.
Update: Tuchel’s Starting XI
The wait is over, as I write this we are 60 minutes from kick-off against Croatia, and things have now got interesting.
Thomas Tuchel’s starting England XI is now out for the Croatia game, and it’s closer to my thinking than I actually expected.
England are set up in a 4-2-3-1:
Pickford; James, Stones, Konsa, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.
That isn’t exactly my 4-3-3, but it’s not a million miles away either.
The main difference is the midfield. I had Rice holding with Bellingham and Palmer either side. Tuchel has gone safer, using Rice and Anderson as a double pivot, then pushing Bellingham into the number 10 role behind Kane which is a good move and one I bet Bellingham will relish.
Croatia are still the sort of side that can punish loose midfield spacing. They’ve got experience, rhythm, and they like to hold up play and pass with uber deliberacy (is that a word?) that makes games feel slower than they really are. So Tuchel has clearly prioritised control before chaos (the right move).
The Saka situation also explains Madueke on the right. If Saka is being managed because of the Achilles problem, Madueke gives England direct running without asking Saka to push through a game he might not be fully ready for.
Gordon starting on the left is pleasing from the point of view of my original selection. I wanted that runner in the front three. England need someone who stretches the pitch and gives Kane, Bellingham and Rice more room to play, Gordon will do that. Plus Gordon can play in the middle too.
Konsa coming in also fits my defensive reliability idea, he's not who I would have picked, but I guess he’s a quick defender who just plays sensible football and doesn't shout 'look at me' (yes I'm looking at you Stones).
So, while I’d still have picked Palmer in my own version, Tuchel’s team does follow the same broad idea:
Keep the structure strong. Protect the middle. Use direct wide players. Let Bellingham play close to Kane.
It’s not the most romantic England XI, but World Cups are rarely won by romance.
They’re usually won by teams that stay compact, make fewer mistakes, and have enough quality in the final third to punish the one or two openings that actually arrive.
I heard an interview with Kane a couple of days ago where he said that the fans like to see England play attractive football, I don’t give a shit Harry, I want a team that will win, not one that will put on a theatre performance. Nothing wrong with winning ugly.
Prediction Corner
Just for fun, I’m going to keep track of predictions during the tournament.
My wife wanted to be part of this too, so here are our game predications with the actual results. No pressure, obviously. Apart from the entire internet being able to check later. Oh yeah, and I let ChatGPT predict the results too.
| Match | Mine | Wife | AI | Actual Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England v Croatia | 2-1 England | 2-0 England | 2-1 England | 4-2 England |
| England v Ghana | 3-1 England | 3-1 England | ||
| Panama v England | 3-0 England | 4-0 England |