The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious international football competition. It was initially played in 1930, and since then, the finals have been contested every four years, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 because of World War II.
The competition is divided into two phases: the qualifying round and the championship match, formally known as the World Cup Finals. Which teams go to the finals is determined by the qualification round, which now spans the three years before the finals.
In the finals’ current structure, 32 teams compete for around a month at locations throughout the host country. The most watched athletic event worldwide is the World Cup Finals, and we offer the best Soccer World Cup 2022 odds.
England’s FIFA World Cup History
The England national football team has only participated in the FIFA World Cup since 1950. The squad has participated in all 18 tournaments since that year, despite not entering the competition until then.
Three times in 1974 in West Germany, 1978 in Argentina and 1994 in the United States, they failed to get to the finals. On another three separate occasions in 1950 in Brazil, 1958 in Sweden and 2014 in Brazil, they were unable to get past the group stage.
Their best-ever showing was when they won the cup in the England-based event in 1966. They also placed fourth in 1990 in Italy and in 2018 in Russia.
England’s Performance in the Last Three World Cups
Let’s look at how England has fared in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cup tournaments.
2010 in South Africa
Due to a crucial mistake by goalkeeper Robert Green, England and the United States were able to draw 1-1 in their opening matchup. After that, they drew with Algeria 0-0 and were booed off the field by their supporters.
England finally advanced to the following round by defeating Slovenia 1-0, although they did so only as the United States’ runners-up, drawing Germany as their opponent. Germany seized the lead after 20 minutes in the second round.
After 32 minutes, Germany was ahead 2-0. Germany took advantage of England’s attempt to tie the score and added two more goals. Germany’s most significant World Cup victory ever was this 4-1 victory over England.
2014 in Brazil
England was able to qualify for the second World Cup, which was hosted in Brazil under Roy Hodgson. England qualified undefeated after winning six games and drawing four others.
England was paired alongside past world champions Italy and Uruguay in the final draw, marking the first time three World Champions, along with Costa Rica, were placed in the same group.
England was eliminated after two games after suffering losses to Italy and Uruguay. The final contest was a scoreless tie with Costa Rica. This was statistically their worst-ever World Cup showing, with just one point after a goalless draw with Costa Rica and two defeats to Uruguay and Italy.
2018 in Russia
Gareth Southgate led England to a new qualification campaign, winning eight of 10 games and drawing twice (2-2 in Glasgow and 0-0 in Ljubljana) with Slovenia. In their quarterfinal, Sweden faced up against England.
They defeated the opponent 2-0. They advanced to their third World Cup semifinal with this. In the semifinal match against Croatia, the squad lost 2-1 after extra time. England’s fourth-place performance in the competition was its best since 1990.
Belgium defeated England in the third-place playoff. England would score nine goals from set pieces during the tournament, a World Cup record since 1966.
England in the 2022 World Cup
England won their first five games in the qualifying round in March 2021. In the rematch against Poland, they were held to a 1-1 tie. In October 2021, they beat Andorra 5-0 on the road to get back on track before drawing Hungary a few days later.
England needed just one point in their last World Cup qualifying match to top the group and guarantee automatic participation after defeating Albania 5-0 at home in November 2021. England defeated San Marino 10-0 to win the group, finishing ahead of second-placed Poland by six points.
According to current preparations, a preliminary team will be named on Friday, October 21. Nothing stops Southgate from announcing his team earlier, even if there’s still a month before the World Cup begins.
So far, here’s how the team may appear:
Goalkeepers:
- Aaron Ramsdale
- Jordan Pickford
- Nick Pope
Defenders:
- Kieran Trippier
- Kyle Walker
- Reece James
- John Stones
- Ben White
- Harry Maguire
- Luke Shaw
- Ben Chilwell
Midfielders:
- Kalvin Phillips
- Declan Rice
- Jordan Henderson
- Jack Grealish
- Mason Mount
- Jude Bellingham
- Phil Foden
Attackers:
- Tammy Abraham
- Raheem Sterling
- Harry Kane
- Bukayo Saka
- Jadon Sancho
FIFA has declared that November 13th, 2022, is the due date for final squads. To address possible tiredness difficulties at this year’s event, FIFA has introduced new rules that will increase World Cup teams from 23 players to 26 players.
Upcoming Action
On November 21st, they’ll play Iran. Then on November 25th, the United States, and on November 29th, Wales. These are their next World Cup matches. You can catch all the action and take advantage of the best England World Cup odds right here on our site.
