England World Cup squad 2022: Three Lions' players aiming for glory in Qatar

Feargal Brennan

England World Cup squad 2022: Three Lions' players aiming for glory in Qatar image

England fans are expectant once again for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having reached the final of Euro 2021 last summer and the last four at Russia 2018.

Gareth Southgate has taken the Three Lions closer to glory than any other manager since they last lifted the World Cup in 1966 — and Euro 2022 glory for the nation's women's side has only heightened excitement for the journey to Qatar.

Southgate will be keen to manage the pressure surrounding his squad now they they are into the knockout stages, but the former defender should also be confident of another strong performance. England started the tournament among the leading contenders to hoist the famous trophy.

They topped Group B with wins over Iran and Wales and a scoreless draw over the USA and now look ahead to a quarterfinal match against France after beating Senegal 3-0 in the Round of 16. 

England will tackle the knockouts without defender Ben White, who departed camp for personal reasons on Nov. 30 and according to the English FA "is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament."

That leaves Southgate with 25 players for the rest of the way as White cannot be replaced per FIFA rules.

Raheem Sterling also missed the Senegal game to return to the U.K. after his home was the subject of a robbery but he was back for the quarterfinal. 

WORLD CUP 2022 SELECTED SQUADS:
Australia | Argentina | Belgium | Brazil | Cameroon 
Canada | Costa Rica | Croatia | Denmark | England
France | Germany | Ghana | Iran | Japan | Mexico
Netherlands | Poland | Portugal | Qatar | Senegal
Serbia | Spain | Switzerland | Uruguay | USA | Wales 

England's World Cup squad

England did not play any pre-tournament friendlies ahead of the World Cup with Southgate basing his final squad pick on domestic, and previous international form. He revealed his 26-man squad on November 10.

With the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell ruled out through injury, Southgate had to look to other options in defence. Conor Gallagher and James Maddison both made the final 26-man squad in midfield while he opted for Callum Wilson over the likes of Ivan Toney, and Tammy Abraham as an outside pick up front. 

Here's the final 26-man list of players, though as previously mentioned White departed camp on Nov. 30.

Caps and stats are correct as of the start of Qatar 2022.

Position No. Player Club Age Caps 2022 World Cup
Qualifiers
GK 1 Jordan Pickford Everton (ENG) 28 45 4
GK 13 Nick Pope Newcastle United (ENG) 30 10 3
GK 23 Aaron Ramsdale Arsenal (ENG) 24 3 1
DEF 18 Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool (ENG) 24 17 3
DEF 16 Conor Coady Everton (ENG) 29 10 4
DEF 15 Eric Dier Tottenham (ENG) 28 47 0
DEF 7 Harry Maguire Manchester United (ENG) 29 48 6
DEF 3 Luke Shaw Manchester United (ENG) 27 23 4
DEF 5 John Stones Manchester City (ENG) 28 59 9
DEF 12 Kieran Trippier Newcastle United (ENG) 32 37 3
DEF 2 Kyle Walker Manchester City (ENG) 32 70 6
DEF 21 Ben White Arsenal (ENG) 25 4 0
MID 22 Jude Bellingham Borussia Dortmund (GER) 19 17 4
MID 26 Conor Gallagher Chelsea (ENG) 22 4 1
MID 8 Jordan Henderson Liverpool (ENG) 32 70 4
MID 19 Mason Mount Chelsea (ENG) 23 32 8
MID 14 Kalvin Phillips Manchester City (ENG) 26 23 7
MID 4 Declan Rice West Ham United (ENG) 23 34 5
MID 25 James Maddison Leicester City (ENG) 25 1 0
MID 20 Phil Foden Manchester City (ENG) 21 18 7
FWD 24 Callum Wilson Newcastle (ENG) 30 4 0
FWD 7 Jack Grealish Manchester City (ENG) 27 24 6
FWD 9 Harry Kane Tottenham (ENG) 29 75 8
FWD 11 Marcus Rashford Manchester United (ENG) 24 46 3
FWD 17 Bukayo Saka Arsenal (ENG) 21 20 5
FWD 10 Raheem Sterling Manchester City (ENG) 27 79 7

Alongside Toney and Abraham missing out, other notable absentees included Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori, Emile Smith Rowe and James Ward-Prowse. Chelsea duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell had already been ruled out with injury.

Goalkeeper

Everton star Jordan Pickford was an ever-present for England during their run to the semifinals and final of the last two major tournaments.

Penalty shootout heroics only boosted his status as Southgate's No.1, and despite missing the September UEFA Nations League games through injury, he remains first choice, with Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale as backups.

Defence

Southgate once had an embarrassment of riches at full-back, however injury concerns over Kyle Walker and the omission of Reece James have influenced his final plans, with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold forcing his way back into contention after missing out on Euro 2021.

The left-back position was also impacted by Ben Chilwell's injury, and regular right-back Kieran Trippier proved to be a must-have on the final roster given his ability to fill in on the opposite flank for starter Luke Shaw.

Trent Alexander-Arnold looks dejected after Liverpool draw with Tottenham
Getty Images

Walker was included despite not playing since the start of October, and despite doubts over United skipper Harry Maguire's club performances, Southgate can rely on him in an England shirt. John Stones is a selection alongside him, in either a back four or a three-man defence.

Midfield

Jude Bellingham's rapid rise has presented Southgate with an extra option in midfield and he has been pivotal at this tournament.

Depending on formation, Mason Mount can play as the link man between midfield and attack, while the England boss has experience in Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and energy in Chelsea's Conor GallagherMaddison offers extra creativity, although there was huge concern when he went down with an injury in Leicester City's final league game before the tournament.

Forwards

Captain Harry Kane is an undisputed starter for Southgate and he could break the England all-time goal record in Qatar.

Raheem Sterling's goals were crucial at Euro 2021, with Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish fighting for the other starting spot in an advanced attacking role.

Jack Grealish, Dominik Szoboszlai, England vs Hungary

Southgate is well-stocked with wide options, but an alternative — more traditional — partner for Kane could be more of a challenge.

Newcastle's Callum Wilson and Manchester United star Marcus Rashford give Southgate something extra, if Plan A needs to be tweaked.

MORE: When is the Premier League winter break for Qatar 2022? 

Feargal Brennan

Feargal Brennan Photo

Feargal is a content producer for The Sporting News. He has been working with TSN since the start of 2022 after stints with Reach, Amazon UK and Squawka in a nomadic career in the football media pyramid. Always with a keen eye on Arteta's 'Reds' and Kenny's Ireland 'Greens' and a 100% five-a-side penalty record.