Four reasons why we think 'it's coming home' for E...
Key takeaways
- England is going to win the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
- Every time ESPN's soccer team was asked to power rank teams heading toward the World Cup, I voted England No. 1.
- The pool is also versatile enough that a manager could craft a team around two or three different styles of play: You could lean into functional, physically impressive talent and overwhelm foes.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
England is going to win the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
Every time ESPN's soccer team was asked to power rank teams heading toward the World Cup, I voted England No. 1. When we were asked to make various predictions before the tournament, I was the only one to pick England to win despite the fact that they were -- and remain -- the No. 3 betting favorite. I'm sure part of this was a stubborn (and perhaps antisocial) streak on my part, but I just didn't see any weaknesses.
The player pool is deep enough that key players from Premier League champion Arsenal (Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly) and Real Madrid (Trent Alexander-Arnold), plus the 2023-24 Premier League player of the year (Phil Foden) and 2023-24 England player of the year (Cole Palmer) didn't even make the squad. The pool is also versatile enough that a manager could craft a team around two or three different styles of play: You could lean into functional, physically impressive talent and overwhelm foes. You could put together a particularly hard-charging and old-school English squad, or you could even craft one of the most creative and almost finesse-oriented teams.