England have been a regular feature at the World Cup throughout their history – only missing the 1974, 1978 and 1994 tournaments.
Their success in the competition, though, has been mixed to say the least. England won their only World Cup back in 1966 and have since largely struggled to progress. The Three Lions often make it out of the group stages, but more often than not are eliminated in the quarter-finals.
England reached the semi-finals back in 1990 but were beaten by old rivals West Germany before losing a third-place play-off to Italy.
England would not reach the semi-final again until 2018. Gareth Southgate’s team won their first-ever penalty shootout in the Round of 16 to see off Colombia before beating Sweden in the semis.
The Three Lions then went 1-0 up vs Croatia in the semi-final thanks to a Kieran Trippier free-kick but failed to capitalise on their early lead, going on to lose 2-1. They once again lost the third-place play-off match, this time to Belgium.
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England World Cup 2022 Tips
Read the latest England odds ahead of the World Cup, including their odds to win the tournament, odds to claim the golden boot, 101 Great Goals’ top tip and more 2022 World Cup predictions and tips.
England World Cup Predictions
World Cup betting tips
England Golden Boot Prediction
World Cup betting tips
Kane claimed the golden boot in 2018 and followed that up with four goals at Euro 2020. With England expected to go far into the tournament, Kane an expert at converting from the spot and generally one of the best strikers in Europe, he is a prime candidate to win the golden boot, especially given the way he has started the Premier League season.
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Manager
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate began his managerial career with long-time club Middlesbrough in 2006. The former centre-back had a mixed stint with Boro and was sacked by the Teessiders in October of 2009 despite a positive start to their Championship campaign.
Southgate remained out of the managerial world until 2013 when he took over England’s under-21 side, going on to win the 2016 Toulon Tournament. Shortly after that he was appointed as England’s senior manager and has become one of the most successful men in the role.
He took England to their first World Cup semi-final in 28 years in 2018 and guided them to their first-ever European Championship final in 2021, which they lost 2-1.
Southgate is well known for his defensive approach to games, which has seen him come in for heavy criticism from fans. However, his approach has led to England’s best tournament showings in decades, so it is hard to argue with his way of playing.
Record
Total appearances: 15
First qualification: 1950
Most recent: 2018
Best achievement: Winners (1966)
World Ranking: 5
Overall record: P69, W29, D21, L19
Key players
Harry Kane
If England are to stand any chance of making it to the World Cup final, Harry Kane must be at the top of his game.
The Tottenham forward is the most prolific striker England have had for years. He is currently on 50 goals for the Three Lions, just three off the current record held by Wayne Rooney. He is also England’s joint-top goalscorer at major tournaments along with Gary Lineker.
Kane scored six at the 2018 World Cup to win the Golden Boot, and after a slow start to Euro 2020, ended the tournament with four goals.
Of course, England will need players such as Raheem Sterling and Declan Rice to step up as well, but Kane is expected to provide the majority of firepower at the World Cup.
Fan expectation for England in the World Cup
Nicky of @englandfansfc1 told 101: “I think England will reach the knockout stages minimum based out the group we are in. But that’s not to say we might slip up. Anything is possible, and based off Nations League performance we need to freshen the squad.
“The current crop of players are being based off the Euros which isn’t right. Each tournament is different, look how we fared in the nations league with three-quarters of the squad at the Euros used for these games.
“If selection is done right, there are a couple of outstanding performers in the under-21s like Rhian Brewster, Cole Palmer and also Harvey Elliott, you include them with the likes of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Tammy Abraham we could do very well. I don’t think Harry Maguire’s confidence is there at the minute and the World Cup is a massive tournament. But everyone’s entitled to their own opinion whether is right or wrong.”
101′s England World Cup Tip
After reaching the Euro 2020 final whilst conceding just two goals in the process, England are currently second favourites to win the World Cup, being priced at 11/2 by bet365.
However, after a dismal Nations League showing post-Euro 2020, there is less optimism amongst England fans. And whilst England did reach the semi-final and final at their last two major tournaments, the Three Lions were handed pretty easy runs. So, if they meet someone such as Brazil, France, etc, in the quarters this year, it is hard to see Gareth Southgate having enough to progress.
101’s Top Tip
England stats, fixtures and results
Follow our England page for the latest statistics, live odds, fixtures, results and match facts of every game at the World Cup.
