England's predicted starting XI for Euro 2024 after final 26-man squad is confirmed (2024)

Euro 2024 is creeping ever closer and international teams across the continent are putting together their final plans for the showpiece tournament. England will go into the tournament in Germany as one of the favourites alongside France.

Will football finally be coming home? While there's still a little more time to wait until the competition kicks off, excitement is now reaching fever pitch. The Three Lions qualified as the winners of their group, ahead of Italy, Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia. It was a straightforward qualifying campaign as Gareth Southgate's men won six games and drew two matches on their way to reaching the finals.

England will compete in Group C along with Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia. They face Serbia in their opening fixture on June 16, and we've skipped ahead to that exact game to predict what the England XI is likely to look like for the curtain-raiser. Southgate has now named his final 26-man squad with some big omissions, including Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire, with the latter missing out due to injury. This means there are one or two shock names set to be in line to play in the opening game.

GK: Jordan Pickford

Club: Everton

Jordan Pickford has always been Southgate's preferred number one, and we're pretty sure this will remain the case when Euro 2024 rolls around. The Everton shot-stopper has never let England down, and while Aaron Ramsdale looked set to take over as the first-choice between the stick for the Three Lions, circ*mstances have changed.

Ramsdale was dropped as Arsenal's goalkeeper earlier in the 2023/24 season by Mikel Arteta, and this has left the path clear for Pickford to continue in goal for his country. Dean Henderson managed to make his way into the squad as the third-choice option after Nick Pope and Sam Johnstone's injury issues.

RB: Kyle Walker

Club: Manchester City

Like the goalkeeper position, it looked like there could be a change in the guard at right-back after the 2022 World Cup. Kyle Walker had lost his regular place in the Manchester City squad during the 2022/23 campaign and Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared ready to step into the fold. James has suffered many injury issues in the past 12 months, while Alexander-Arnold has yet to earn the trust of Southgate in a defensive role.

The most likely player to dethrone Walker as the starting right-back - after the Citizens' defender forced his way back in at club level with some world-class performances - is Kieran Tripper of Newcastle. The England boss has always shown faith in the former Atletico Madrid man, whether it be on the right or left side of the back-line.

CB: John Stones

Club: Manchester City

Manchester City are the most dominant team in world football - having won a treble in the 2022/24 season and lifted the Club World Cup in late 2023 - but the Citizens don't look like the same side without John Stones pulling the strings from the back. The ex-Everton defender has become one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola. He is as nailed on to play as any other player in this entire XI, fitness permitting.

The 30-year-old is one of the most assured and composed defenders in the world in possession of the ball. His passing range and selection is world-class, and his intelligence is unmatched by anyone in the England back-line. In his younger years, Stones was seen as too weak to compete with physical centre-forwards, but he's now able to compete with any striker he comes up against.

CB: Marc Guehi

Club: Crystal Palace

Marc Guehi could be the man to partner Stones at the heart of the back-line after Harry Maguire's injury woes kept the Manchester United man out of the squad. The other candidates to take this position in the team are Lewis Dunk, Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa, but the Crystal Palace defender is the most likely to get the nod in the left-sided role.

His composure in possession is reminiscent of Maguire, although he isn't quite the same dominant force in the air. This is where someone like Dunk could be brought in against more physical sides. Of the central defensive options, Guehi has been the most impressive for his country in his 10 appearances.

LB: Kieran Trippier

Club: Newcastle United

Luke Shaw has stepped up his road to recovery after missing large parts of Manchester United's 2023-24 campaign, but the left-back is likely to miss the opening fixture of the tournament as it could come too soon. Luckily, Kieran Trippier is on hand to bail the Three Lions out.

Newcastle United's captain started the previous Euros at left-back and Southgate has shown faith in the versatile full-back over his tenure at the helm. Trippier is one of the more experienced members of the squad and would be the second-oldest member of the starting XI if given the nod. This could bring a healthy balance of wisdom and youth.

DM: Declan Rice

Club: Arsenal

The glue that holds the entire team together, Declan Rice will start every game at the Euros, fitness permitting. He lifted a European trophy for West Ham at club level in the summer of 2023 and will be hoping to replicate that feat 12 months later with his country. Arsenal made one of the Premier League signings of the season when they snapped up the defensive midfielder from the Hammers.

At 25 years old, the Gunners' star is one of the best in the world in his position. Rice has even been put into the same conversations as Manchester City's Rodri - and praise doesn't come much higher than that. Adam Wharton's meteoric rise from the Championship to Euro 2024 will see the Crystal Palace star serve as deputy to Rice, but the Arsenal ace's place in the team is in no doubt.

CM: Trent Alexander-Arnold

Club: Liverpool

Perhaps the biggest question mark over Southgate's first starting team of the competition is who will play alongside Rice in the middle of the park. Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo is certainly in contention but Trent Alexander-Arnold looks likely to get the nod after an impressive showing against Bosnia & Herzegovina. The fact he's listed as a midfielder on the squad list indicates where his future lies in the national side.

Alexander-Arnold's vast passing range and ability to pick out the attacking players could be vital in breaking down stubborn opposition. His natural instincts are to go forward, but as a right-back by trade, the Liverpool superstar will also be able to help Rice with the defensive work when required. The added safety of having Walker behind him could give the 25-year-old more freedom to do what he does best at the business end of the pitch.

CM: Jude Bellingham

Club: Real Madrid

We're witnessing the emergence of a true 'Galactico' before our very eyes as Jude Bellingham leads a Real Madrid side consisting of superstars such as Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, and Luka Modric. The former Borussia Dortmund and Birmingham youngster was Los Blancos' best performer in his debut campaign in Spain, with his game evolving from being a box-to-box midfielder to a goalscoring machine. Bellingham is not only one of the best players in his team but one of the best in the world.

As the youngest player in this line-up, it seems clear that Bellingham will be at the centre of whatever the Three Lions achieve over the next 10–15 years. A driving force that will be encouraged to get forward and support the front line because he has the imperious Rice covering for him, it would not be a shock to see Bellingham towards the top of the goal contributions chart by the end of the tournament.

LW: Phil Foden

Club: Manchester City

Phil Foden is unfortunate but in a strange way. The Englishman is one of the most versatile players in both his national team and his club, meaning he is never assigned one specific role to thrive in. Instead, Foden is asked to play on both wings, as well as in a central role behind the striker. Granted, some games won't suit having the Man City man on the wing, and that is why you bring a squad of players to these tournaments.

The 23-year-old isn't a natural winger, but his close control and clever use of the ball more than make up for his lack of direct dribbling and blistering pace. If Southgate wants to lift silverware at the end of the campaign, he will need players like Foden who have been there and done it for their club.

RW: Bukayo Saka

Club: Arsenal

For a few years now, Bukayo Saka has been one of the most exciting players in the Premier League, as the young Arsenal star burst onto the scene in the Gunners' time of need. The Emirates Stadium had witnessed some hard times until Mikel Arteta got things together and made Saka the main man in his attacking trio. There is a conversation to be had about just how much strain has been put on the 22-year-old's shoulders, however, as he is rarely given a break.

Starring in the Champions League group stages, the right-winger has taken his talents into continental football and will hope to continue this into the Euros for England. Southgate has a couple of options at right wing, with Jarrod Bowen and Cole Palmer both having incredible Premier League seasons, but it would shock the nation to see anyone other than Saka take up that role against Serbia.

ST: Harry Kane

Club: Bayern Munich

England's record goalscorer, Harry Kane will lead the line for the Three Lions and inevitably be at the heart of any success Southgate's side enjoy this summer. His debut season with Bayern Munich was a success on an individual basis, as the former Spurs marksman became the fastest player to score 20 Bundesliga goals ever.

Many believed he was destined to become the top goalscorer in Premier League history while playing for Tottenham, but the 30-year-old departed in 2023 in search of silverware in Germany. Bearing in mind Bayern Munich's struggles in the 2023/24 season, though, could the Euro 2024 title be the first major trophy Kane gets his hands on?

All statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 07/06/2024)