World Cup 2026 : How England could line up for first game against Croatia

As Thomas Tuchel watched the World Cup 2026 draw unfold from the Kennedy Center - after Donald Trump's Peace Prize win and a joint-display from Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger - his England troops were no doubt tuning in intently from the comfort of their own sofas.

The Three Lions became the first European nation to book their spot at next year's Mundial in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where they will face one regular UEFA nemesis, one African hopeful and one 2018 foe for the right to advance to the knockout stages.

Bidding to deny England top spot in Group L will firstly be Luka Modric's Croatia, who reached the final of the 2018 edition at the expense of the Three Lions and also denied Steve McClaren's side a spot at the 2008 European Championships.

Mohammed Kudus and Antoine Semenyo's Ghana could also cause plenty of problems for Tuchel's side at the back, while Panama may simply aim to improve on their 2018 showing against Gareth Southgate's England, who decimated the Red Tide 6-1 in Russia seven years ago.

Here, Sports Mole selects its possible England XI for their first game of the 2026 World Cup.

While Dean Henderson may now be showing off his shiny FA Cup winners' medal and recently helped Crystal Palace embark on their longest-ever unbeaten run, Jordan Pickford's status as England's undisputed number one should not come under any threat.

Pickford has made a series of eye-catching saves for Everton of late, and there is no danger of him missing out on the World Cup starting side unless an injury occurs.

Moving on from the days of Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw, Tuchel could face the best kind of dilemmas in the full-back areas, where Tino Livramento, Djed Spence, Nico O'Reilly and Reece James will all put their names in the hat.

While Myles Lewis-Skelly may have now forced his way back into the Arsenal team, O'Reilly has since emerged as a regular for Manchester City, and the Citizens star is likely to be first in line for the left-back role after the former was left out.

On the opposite side, James's next injury is seemingly always just around the corner, but providing that the right-back is fit, he will be in the England XI this summer, especially as Trent Alexander-Arnold was not included in the latest squad.

A fit Marc Guehi is a certainty in defence, likely alongside John Stones after Harry Maguire was controversially snubbed.

Even a 70% Declan Rice would be one of the first names on the teamsheet, and as Elliot Anderson is now making waves in the England team, expect him to emerge as a serious contender to start alongside the Arsenal man - much to Adam Wharton's dismay.

A Rice-Anderson double pivot would allow Jude Bellingham to strut his stuff in the number 10 slot - even if Morgan Rogers is playing better for his national team right now - likely with Bukayo Saka and the rejuvenated Marcus Rashford either side of him as Eberechi Eze and Anthony Gordon are restricted to the fringes.

Already boasting eight World Cup goals from the 2018 and 2022 editions, Harry Kane needs to strike three times in 2026 to become England's all-time leading scorer at the men's tournament, surpassing Gary Lineker in the process.