England fans are expectant once again ahead of the FIFA 2022 World Cup, having reached the final of Euro 2020 last summer and the last four at Russia 2018.
Gareth Southgate has guided 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 national women’s side has only added to the excitement ahead of the trip to Qatar.
Southgate will want to manage the pressure around his team as preparations for the tournament continue, but the former defender should be confident of another strong performance. England will start among the leading contenders for the famous trophy.
Most of Southgate’s squad is self-selected, but domestic form and injuries will also play a key role in his final decision.
Projected England World Cup squad 2022
Southgate is likely to keep faith with the bulk of the squad that powered England to within touching distance of winning Euro 2020 last year, before their heart-breaking final defeat on penalties to Italy.
His starting defence and midfield rarely changed during the competition, and there appears to be little reason to alter his starting XI plans at this stage.
However, a mixed return to Premier League action for some in 2021/22 has unsettled certain positions, with Manchester United trio Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford under the most significant pressure. Southgate will also likely not be afraid of including emerging young stars.
Southgate will be permitted to name an official preliminary list of 35-55 players up until Friday, October 21 with FIFA confirming final squads need to be submitted by no later than November 14.
Based on World Cup qualifiers and friendly rosters across the past year, these are the 34 names most likely to be on Southgate’s preliminary list.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jordan Pickford | Everton (ENG) | 28 | 45 | 4 |
| Goalkeeper | Nick Pope | Newcastle United (ENG) | 30 | 10 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| Goalkeeper | Dean Henderson | Nottingham Forest (ENG) | 25 | 1 | 0 |
| Defender | Reece James | Chelsea (ENG) | 22 | 15 | 5 |
| Defender | Kyle Walker | Manchester City (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 6 |
| Defender | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool (ENG) | 24 | 17 | 3 |
| Defender | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United (ENG) | 32 | 37 | 3 |
| Defender | Ben White | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| Defender | Luke Shaw | Manchester United (ENG) | 27 | 23 | 4 |
| Defender | Ben Chilwell | Chelsea (ENG) | 25 | 17 | 5 |
| Defender | Harry Maguire | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 48 | 6 |
| Defender | John Stones | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 59 | 9 |
| Defender | Marc Guehi | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 22 | 3 | 1 |
| Defender | Conor Coady | Everton (ENG) | 29 | 10 | 4 |
| Defender | Eric Dier | Tottenham (ENG) | 28 | 47 | 0 |
| Defender | Fikayo Tomori | AC MIlan (ITA) | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| Midfielder | Declan Rice | West Ham United (ENG) | 23 | 34 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 17 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Kalvin Phillips | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 23 | 7 |
| Midfielder | Mason Mount | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 32 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 4 |
| Midfielder | James Ward-Prowse | Southampton (ENG) | 27 | 11 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Conor Gallagher | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 22 | 4 | 1 |
| Forward | Harry Kane | Tottenham (ENG) | 29 | 75 | 8 |
| Forward | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City (ENG) | 79 | 19 | 7 |
| Forward | Jack Grealish | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 24 | 6 |
| Forward | Phil Foden | Manchester City (ENG) | 21 | 18 | 7 |
| Forward | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 20 | 5 |
| Forward | Ivan Toney | Brentford (ENG) | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward | Tammy Abraham | AS Roma (ITA) | 25 | 11 | 4 |
| Forward | Jarrod Bowen | West Ham United (ENG) | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| Forward | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (ENG) | 24 | 46 | 3 |
| Forward | Jadon Sancho | Manchester United (ENG) | 22 | 23 | 1 |
Final 26-man England World Cup roster
England will not play any pre-tournament friendlies ahead of the World Cup with Southgate basing his final squad pick on domestic, and previous international form.
Here’s a projected look at a possible 26-man list assuming all these players are fit and ready, which at this stage is far from certain.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps | 2022 World Cup Qualifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jordan Pickford | Everton (ENG) | 28 | 45 | 4 |
| Goalkeeper | Nick Pope | Newcastle United (ENG) | 30 | 10 | 3 |
| Goalkeeper | Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 3 | 1 |
| Defender | Reece James | Chelsea (ENG) | 22 | 15 | 5 |
| Defender | Kyle Walker | Manchester City (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 6 |
| Defender | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool (ENG) | 24 | 17 | 3 |
| Defender | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United (ENG) | 32 | 37 | 3 |
| Defender | Ben White | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 4 | 0 |
| Defender | Luke Shaw | Manchester United (ENG) | 27 | 23 | 4 |
| Defender | Ben Chilwell | Chelsea (ENG) | 25 | 17 | 5 |
| Defender | Harry Maguire | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 48 | 6 |
| Defender | John Stones | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 59 | 9 |
| Defender | Eric Dier | Tottenham (ENG) | 28 | 47 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Declan Rice | West Ham United (ENG) | 23 | 34 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Jude Bellingham | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 19 | 17 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Kalvin Phillips | Manchester City (ENG) | 26 | 23 | 7 |
| Midfielder | Mason Mount | Chelsea (ENG) | 23 | 32 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Henderson | Liverpool (ENG) | 32 | 70 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Conor Gallagher | Crystal Palace (ENG) | 22 | 4 | 1 |
| Forward | Harry Kane | Tottenham (ENG) | 29 | 75 | 8 |
| Forward | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City (ENG) | 79 | 19 | 7 |
| Forward | Jack Grealish | Manchester City (ENG) | 27 | 24 | 6 |
| Forward | Phil Foden | Manchester City (ENG) | 21 | 18 | 7 |
| Forward | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 20 | 5 |
| Forward | Tammy Abraham | AS Roma (ITA) | 25 | 11 | 4 |
| Forward | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United (ENG) | 24 | 46 | 3 |
