Browsing: Englands

David Beckham gave England fans some unforgettable World Cup moments without ever bringing home the trophy – but now he is trying to help the Class of 2026 take the final step.

The former Three Lions captain played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament, experiencing some memorable highs and crushing lows.

Who can forget Beckham’s red card for kicking out at Argentina’s Diego Simeone at France 98 – or his cathartic, match-winning penalty against the same opponents in Japan and Korea four years later?

‘Goldenballs’ is ranked no.5 on FourFourTwo’s list of the best English midfielders ever but never went beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament with England, reaching the last eight under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2002 and 2006 following his red card during the second-round defeat in 1998.

And preparations for next summer’s tournament are already well under way, with Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett revealing that the FA are in touch with Beckham about using Inter Miami’s base ahead of the finals.

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Dorsett wrote on X: “FA in discussion with David Beckham and his reps about England possibly using his Inter Miami training centre as warm-weather base in the build up to the World Cup. With qualification now guaranteed, FA will ramp up their prep, tho no final decisions til the draw on Dec 5.”

Inter Miami train at the Florida Blue Training Center, which has six natural grass fields and one turf field and sits next to the club’s home ground, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale.

Legendary duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are among Inter Miami’s stars (Image credit: Getty Images)

Acclimatising to the heat will be a big factor in what England can achieve at the tournament, with some kick-off times likely to be changed to prevent teams playing in high temperatures.

The Three Lions will be aiming to end their 60-year wait for a major trophy, having reached successive European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate.

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October 16, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

European superpower Germany proved too strong for an England team featuring two teenagers in the last 16 of the European Championships in Croatia.

Going for a third Women’s Team title in a row, Germany lined up with three players inside the world’s top 70.

Previous reports

Despite that, England approached the match positively on the back of coming through January’s qualifying tournament and then beating the ninth-ranked side Italy in the groups to get to this stage.

When Tin-Tin Ho took the first game against Annett Kaufmann, world junior champion last year and world ranked 65, hopes may have been raised a little.

But that was just the invitation for Kaufmann to step it up and keep Ho (WR 247) at arm’s length for the next three games.

Tianer Yu, brilliant in the defeat of Italy, gave as good as she got in the first two games of her match against Sabine Winter, ranked 262 places above her at No 28 in the world. It was only in the third that Winter was able to finally subdue her opponent.

Ella Pashley (WR 908) was unlucky not to have featured in the qualifying tournament, having been selected to play No 3 against a Greenland side which ended up fielding only two players.

She showed few signed of nerves on her belated senior tournament debut, looking to attack at every opportunity, though her opponent Nina Mittelham (WR 69) not surprisingly had the greater consistency. Still, Pashley (pictured above) will only benefit from a match in which she made some superb winners and stuck at it throughout.

All told, England will take a lot of positives from achieving a top-16 place.

Englandâ€s men faced Netherlands in the 17-24th position bracket and brought in Connor Green for his first senior tournament match.

Tom Jarvis won his two matches, including a nip-and-tuck opener against Milo De Boer, while Green led Gabrielius Camara 2-1 before his opponent came back to win 3-2 in Match 2.

Sam Walkerâ€s 3-1 defeat in a tight match against Kas Van Oost proved pivotal as, although Jarvis beat Camara in four, Green could not get a game off De Boer in the decider and the Dutch triumphed 3-2.

Results

Women’s Team
Round of 16
Germany 3 England 0
Annett Kaufmann bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-1 (7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8)
Sabine Winter bt Tianer Yu 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-4)
Nina Mittelham bt Ella Pashley 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-7)

Men’s Team
Positions 17-24
Netherlands 3 England 2
Tom Jarvis bt Milo De Boer 3-2 (11-7, 11-13, 12-10, 7-11, 11-7)
Gabrielius Camara bt Connor Green 3-2 (11-5, 8-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8)
Kas Van Oost bt Sam Walker 3-1 (13-11, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10)
Jarvis bt Camara 3-1 (10-12, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7)
De Boer bt Green 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-7)

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England travel to Indore for their next two games to take on their toughest opponents in India, on Sunday, and Australia on 22 October.

Neither are ideal opponents to be facing with batting fragilities to address but the pitches there are expected to be flatter and friendlier to batters.

It was Knight’s gritty determination which rescued them against Bangladesh and Sciver-Brunt’s class ensured they posted a winning total against Sri Lanka, but when both fell early against Pakistan, England could not recover.

“Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight have scored more runs between them than their team-mates combined at this tournament,” World Cup winner Alex Hartley said on BBC Test Match Special.

“That says something within itself, and neither of them batted in the first match. That is a concern.”

Beaumont and Jones have struggled against the swinging ball – stands of six, 24 and 13 following the chase of just 70 in the opener against South Africa – but Charlotte Edwards’ first move in charge was to show faith and re-promote Jones, and it feels unlikely she will disrupt the pair.

After Sciver-Brunt and Knight, England’s next best batter has been number eight Charlie Dean with a steady 27 not out in a tense chase against Bangladesh, a handy 19 against Sri Lanka and she top-scored with 33 against Pakistan.

There have been glimpses of promise from Alice Capsey at seven but Sophia Dunkley and Emma Lamb are struggling to start their innings against spin in the middle order.

Lamb has 18 runs in three innings while Dunkley has 29, each of their dismissals to spin, with the former being asked to play an unfamiliar role.

When batting in the top three in domestic and international cricket, Lamb averages 44 in 61 innings with five centuries. These three innings here are the first she has ever played at number six professionally in the 50-over format.

Danni Wyatt-Hodge is England’s unused batter on the bench, and played in the middle order for a number of years, so it will be interesting to see how long the Lamb experiment continues.

England may have dodged an embarrasing slip-up here, but will be aware things are not going to get any easier.

India and Australia await. Any wobbles against those two and England’s campaign could quickly fall flat.

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All-rounder Alice Capsey says new captain and coach duo Nat Sciver-Brunt and Charlotte Edwards have given England a freshness as they look to stretch their unbeaten run in the World Cup against Pakistan.

Sciver-Brunt’s side have beaten South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka so far, and will be favourites against a winless Pakistan in Colombo on Wednesday.

Capsey, who is batting at seven and providing a fourth spin option, also emphasised the importance of taking winning momentum into crunch games at the end of the group stage against India, Australia and New Zealand.

“The change in leadership with Nat and Lottie coming in has been really refreshing, in the sense that we’re talking about the game in a different way,” Capsey told BBC Sport.

“Lottie is so experienced, and being able to learn from her not only as a coach but from what she achieved as a player, it’s amazing.

“It would be greatly appreciated [to face India still unbeaten]. But every team brings a different challenge, and especially in these conditions a team like Pakistan can definitely pose a threat, perhaps a different one to what we are used to.

“I know they haven’t won a game so far but they are definitely not a team we are taking lightly.”

Capsey made a vital 20 in the tense, low chase against Bangladesh but fell for a duck against Sri Lanka as she was victim to sharp turn from Inoka Ranaweera.

The 21-year-old has significant T20 experience in India from playing for Delhi Capitals but is playing in her first 50-over World Cup, and says the spin-friendly conditions are posing a new challenge for her.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Capsey.

“All the pitches during the WPL were quite flat and there wasn’t anything like the turn and bounce we’ve had so far. It’s been a real learning curve but an amazing one to learn from.

“I’m expanding my game and developing as a batter as we go, and just watching how Nat and Heather Knight have gone about it has been hugely important for me, being able to pick their brains when I need to.”

Should England beat Pakistan, they will be in a very strong position to seal a semi-final spot before they play India in Indore on Sunday and defending champions Australia at the same venue the following Wednesday.

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Ben Stokes and Mark Wood will be “raring to go” in time for the Ashes, according to England pace bowler Brydon Carse.

Talismanic England skipper Stokes missed the final Test against India in July because of a shoulder injury, while express paceman Wood has not played a Test since August 2024 as a result of elbow and knee problems.

Both are looking to be fit for the first Test in Perth on 21 November, a series opener that Australia captain Pat Cummins has said he is “less likely than likely” to feature in because of a back injury.

Carse, a Durham team-mate of Stokes and Wood, said: “Ben and Woody are going well.

“I’ve been down to Loughborough in the past couple of weeks, had a couple of nights with them. Ben is looking near enough 100% fit and so is Mark. I’ve been bowling with them.

“It’s exciting to see where they have got to after their setbacks during the summer. They will be raring to go come Australia time.”

Pace bowling and the durability of the respective attacks could be a decisive factor in the outcome of a five-Test Ashes series crammed into the space of seven weeks.

With Aussie spearhead Cummins a huge doubt for Perth and possibly beyond, the home side will rely on Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland, all in their mid-30s. Beyond that, their other seamers are inexperienced or untried at Test level.

The group of fast bowlers named by England is set to be their fastest and most hostile to tour Australia in more than 50 years, albeit with some fitness doubts among them.

By the time of the first Test, Wood will not have played any competitive cricket since February. Despite that lack of action, the 35-year-old – probably the fastest bowler in the world – often claims he is at his best when fresh.

All-rounder Stokes, 34, is vital to England’s Ashes hopes, but has a history of pushing himself to breaking point. He has not completed any of England’s past four Test series and in the home summer against India his large bowling workload resulted in the shoulder injury.

Stokes and Wood are also the only pace bowlers in the England squad to have played in a Test down under before, but Carse believes the touring seamers will not suffer for their lack of time in Australian conditions.

“You can look at it two ways,” said Carse, speaking at the Toyota Professional Cricketers’ Association awards.

“Stokesy and Woody have played in Ashes series down in Australia, so they have the experience to fall back on.

“A couple of the other seamers have played in A trips out there. Hopefully that experience will allow them to feel a level of confidence going into the Ashes.”

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Last Wednesday, Jude Bellingham was named England’s men’s Player of the Year for 2024-25. Less than 48 hours later, he was dropped.

England manager Thomas Tuchel explained the decision by pointing to the player’s lack of game time at Real Madrid after undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer — Bellingham, 22, has started just one game in four appearances this season and has yet to complete 90 minutes — but scratch the surface of that explanation, and a more complicated picture emerges.

Tuchel has repeatedly stressed the lack of time he has to work with his team before next year’s FIFA World Cup finals, heightening the need to bring key players together as often as possible. He also described September’s camp as the best of his tenure, believing the 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in a World Cup qualifier in Belgrade was the product of a positive and focused nine days together.

– Tuchel: No problem with ‘special’ Bellingham
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– 2026 World Cup: Who has qualified, and how the rest can make it

Tuchel opted to retain almost all of the players from that group when October’s squad was announced, replacing the injured Noni Madueke with his Arsenal teammate Bukayo Saka, and including Jarell Quansah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek from the outset after drafting them in last month following withdrawals. Saka, incidentally, has not completed 90 minutes for Arsenal since the opening weekend of the season.

“Team spirit is the key factor in the end,” Tuchel said last week. “We want to go to the tournament, we have to qualify first.

“We want to develop something special and I truly believe the fans can feel there is a team out there that loves to play for each other, that loves to run for each other, that is there to give everything.

“That was clearly visible in the match against Serbia, so now it is on us to follow up on that and for that we didn’t take any chances. We took a very straightforward decision to go with the same group of players.”

But that “straightforward” decision included leaving out officially England’s best player of the last year, prompting the question: Is there more going on?

Experimenting with alternatives

Tuchel was asked directly if England can win the World Cup without Bellingham. He chose to reframe the argument.

“Do I believe we are a stronger team with Jude? Yes,” he replied. “Is he one of the best players in the world in midfield? Yes. But I told you last time when he was injured: what will we do if a player like Jude is injured before the World Cup? Do we then cancel? Do we not travel?

“This is a team sport. Everyone has a particular role and it can happen right in front of the tournament and then we have to find solutions. It can never be the solution to depend on one player in football.”

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Bellingham is a stunningly gifted footballer, and it seems inconceivable that he would not be part of England’s starting lineup at the World Cup. Curiously, England have won 26 of 42 games with Bellingham in the team, but without him that record improves to 13 wins, 6 draws and just 1 defeat.

In Bellingham’s favor is his unmatched ability within the England squad to bend a game to his will. There are arguably only a handful of players in the world who possess his combination of match-winning talents. He must, however, maintain a level of performance, and it is clear that Tuchel is prepared to calibrate his thinking by giving at least equal weight to what players deliver in an England shirt as opposed to what they do for their clubs. Taking Tuchel’s argument at face value, he is of course right to assert that England need to identify alternatives were Bellingham to suffer an injury.

Tuchel has so far preferred a 4-2-3-1 system, and Morgan Rogers was excellent against Serbia as England’s No. 10. Rogers’ intelligence with the ball and industry without it makes him a strong candidate, and he is likely to continue when Wales visit Wembley on Thursday for a friendly. Morgan Gibbs-White is a possible alternative, as perhaps is Loftus-Cheek, but it is surprising given Tuchel’s reasoning for Bellingham’s omission that Phil Foden was also left out. Foden was often pushed out to the wing under ex-coach Gareth Southgate to accommodate Bellingham, but only last month his boss at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, reiterated a widely held view that the 25-year-old is at his best when playing centrally.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham has not been called up by manager Thomas Tuchel for the national team’s October fixtures despite recently returning to play for Real Madrid. ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Opting not to use Foden is even stranger when considering another obvious selection, Cole Palmer, is unavailable through injury. The Chelsea playmaker is absent with a groin problem and his rapid rise at Stamford Bridge has only advanced his case for a starting spot next summer, after coming off the bench to score in last summer’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, Southgate’s final game in charge.

Sources have told ESPN that Tuchel has also considered using Bellingham alongside Harry Kane as split strikers in a 4-4-2 shape, mindful of England’s lack of elite quality in the No. 6 position. Elliot Anderson’s impressive performances against Andorra and Serbia offer encouragement that Tuchel could yet solve that problem, freeing the manager up to play Declan Rice alongside Anderson and then pick four attack-minded options ahead of him in a 4-2-3-1 system.

Squad dynamic

This is where things gets tricky, because the assertion that last month’s camp was the best under Tuchel in terms of camaraderie by implication casts a degree of doubt over those who were absent.

“I think the last camp was the best I’ve been part of, to be honest,” winger Anthony Gordon told ESPN. “In terms of just the vibe of the camp, everyone seemed really happy, really content. On the pitch, we put in probably our best performance and it seemed like everything just clicked on and off the pitch.

“So it doesn’t surprise me that the same team has been called up, but we can’t be complacent and think that’s going to be fine from now on. We’ve got to better our levels again.”

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Tuchel explains Bellingham’s England squad omission

Thomas Tuchel explains why Jude Bellingham is not a part of his latest England squad.

Quansah has only been called up for six camps in total — and is yet to make his full England debut — but the former Liverpool defender agreed. “With all the squads here, we’ve always got a good team chemistry,” the Bayer Leverkusen defender told ESPN. “When you put together good performances it breeds a good positivity about the camp.

“The September camp can be tough, with the start of the season, but the way we performed in that … everyone saw how good it was. And that builds positivity and a strong team chemistry.”

There are no publicly documented cases of Bellingham being involved in any issues within the camp. Tuchel pointedly insisted there was “no problem” between him and Bellingham, Foden or Jack Grealish, for that matter, after the trio were left out of his latest squad. However, sources have told ESPN that some relationships within the group were strained during last summer’s run to the Euro 2024 final. Bellingham was seen shouting angrily in Southgate’s direction as the game threatened to slip away from them.

UEFA Group K

GPPTSGD1 – England515+132 – Albania58+23 – Serbia47-14 – Latvia54-45 – Andorra50-101 qualifies / 2 in playoffs

Southgate admitted after the final that he would have taken Bellingham off for extra time had the squad not fallen behind with Mikel Oyarzabal‘s goal in the 86th minute.

More pertinently, Tuchel publicly criticized elements of Bellingham’s behavior in a radio interview in June when he said: “If he smiles, he wins everyone. But sometimes you see the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive.”

Tuchel later apologized — with the valid mitigation that he was speaking in a second language — but the German effectively chose to double down on the Bellingham issue by leaving him out this month.

As former England international Gary Neville, later part of the national team’s coaching staff under Roy Hodgson, said: “He’s definitely sending him a message. If you think about England managers over the last 20, 30 years, they always get their star players back in, even if they haven’t played a game just to get them back in amongst it.

“So it is a message to Jude Bellingham. I don’t think he’ll take it any other way. They are enough signals we have seen in Thomas Tuchel’s press conferences to know he isn’t scared to make a tough decision. There are obviously things that he doesn’t like — not just about Jude Bellingham but other players as well, and he’s thinking, ‘I’m going to send them a message.'”

So, it’s up to Bellingham to respond during his time with Real Madrid.

Bellingham’s cameo as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Villarreal prior to the international break was a mixed bag. The view that there is a mini-preseason over this fortnight could be exactly what he needs to regain his best form for a big month at Real, including a UEFA Champions League clash with Juventus before the season’s first Clásico against Barcelona on Oct. 26 (stream LIVE at 1:15 p.m. ET on ESPN+ in the U.S.). Bellingham’s Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé, meanwhile, will join up with France for the international break despite suffering an ankle sprain shortly after scoring his side’s third goal against Villarreal.

Gordon said: “You definitely notice when he [Bellingham] is not here because he’s such a big presence and such a big player, but I think he’s been injured, he’s had a tough couple of months. It has probably done him some good, to be honest. He’s played so much football for his age. It’s mad. He’s younger than me, it’s crazy. He’s played so much football and he’s only just done his shoulder so it gives him time to build a rhythm up and start playing again.

“I think we all know if he’s playing week in, week out for Real Madrid,” Gordon said, “he’s going to be in the England team.”

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As well as bearing the pressure of her first tournament in charge, Sciver-Brunt’s all-round performances will also go a long way to deciding England’s fortunes.

So often, she is their sole saviour with the bat but she will at least have the comfort of Knight’s return from injury, providing extra stability and maturity in the middle order which they lacked against India this summer.

Edwards wasted no time in changing England’s opening partnership, reinstating Amy Jones with Tammy Beaumont, but again it was difficult to take too much from their back-to-back stands of more than 200 against West Indies considering the weakness of the bowling attack.

They were far less convincing against a superior India, with a stand of 54 sandwiched between partnerships of eight and seven.

England are also very inexperienced in India as only Knight, Beaumont and Danni Wyatt-Hodge have 10 or more ODIs to their name here – though they are more familiar with the conditions from the Women’s Premier League, a T20 franchise tournament.

In terms of the bowling, much will also depend on how many overs Sciver-Brunt can deliver, having not bowled since the Ashes because of an Achilles problem.

Edwards made the bold call to omit the experienced Kate Cross from the squad, which leaves Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer and Em Arlott as the quicks and Sarah Glenn, Charlie Dean, Linsey Smith and world number one Sophie Ecclestone as the spinners.

Bell has quickly become one of the first names on the England team sheet over the past two years, but there are still a lot of unknowns about the surfaces in India and Sri Lanka, with their group games due to be played at four different venues.

If the surfaces do not offer much spin, especially in the early stages, England could find themselves a seamer light or lacking Cross’ experience, with Arlott and Filer still searching for consistency in international cricket.

Arlott is also the only new addition to the squad since the Ashes, another indication that England’s depth is yet to materialise in order to challenge the mainstays, though it was always unlikely the team would see wholesale changes from the summer considering the enormity of the challenge of this tournament and the need for experience.

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September 25, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

An emphatic win over Estonia was sandwiched by defeats to higher-ranked Romania and Croatia as England got their Mixed Team campaign under way at the European Under-13 Championships.

England, ranked at No 18, were drawn in Group B, where they faced second seeds Romania in their first match.

Dimitar Dimitrov & Amber Lemmon lost a close four-game doubles match to Mihai Iordan & Kariss Serban, and Lemmon later led Serban 2-1 before losing in five as England were beaten 5-0 – although never outclassed.

England then beat Estonia 5-0, dropping only one game across the five individual matches. This set up a key match against 11th-ranked Croatia to decide second place in the group.

Sinan Surensoy & Lemmon were beaten in four in the opening doubles, and Assil Sarriâ€s defeat by Sara Rivetti left England with a lot to do.

Dimitrov pulled one back with a fine 3-2 (11-5, 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6) win over Matija Zohil, but Lemmonâ€s defeat by Karla Ivcic meant England could not win – though Surensoy did put a gloss on the final scoreline with a 3-0 win over Ivan Smiljanic.

England now face Portugal and Slovenia in the second group stage of the competition in Kosta, Sweden.

Sinan Surensoy in action in Kosta

Results

Mixed Team
Group B
Romania 5 England 0
Mihai Iordan & Kariss Serban bt Dimitar Dimitrov & Amber Lemmon 3-1 (11-6, 12-14, 11-8, 11-9)
Nadalia Ionascu bt Assil Sarri 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-9)
Matei Nita bt Sinan Surensoy 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-8)
Serban bt Lemmon 3-2 (9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5)
Iordan bt Dimitrov 3-0 (15-13, 11-5, 11-5)

England 5 Estonia 0
Dimitrov & Lemmon bt Marat Fjodorov & Arina Sokolova 3-0 (11-4, 11-7, 11-7)
Sarri bt Anastassia Boglova 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-9)
Surensoy bt Matvei Sotskov 3-0 (11-7, 11-3, 11-2)
Lemmon bt Sokolova 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 11-2)
Dimitrov bt Fjodorov 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4)

Croatia 3 England 2
Ivan Smiljanic & Karla Ivcic bt Surensoy & Lemmon 3-1 (11-7, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9)
Sara Rivetti bt Sarri 3-0 (15-13, 11-8, 11-5)
Dimitrov bt Matija Zohil 3-2 (11-5, 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6)
Ivcic bt Lemmon 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-4)
Surensoy bt Smiljanic 3-0 (11-8, 14-12, 11-4)

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England say Stokes will recover from his shoulder injury by 21 November, but there will be huge concern over the talismanic skipper’s ability to get through the whole series – he has not played a full part in any of England’s past four.

Without Stokes, chances of returning with the urn dwindle to almost nothing. Protecting the captain could be another reason to play four frontline seamers in Perth.

The case of Wood is a curious one. The fastest bowler in the world has not played a Test since last August because of elbow and knee injuries. A comeback has been gradually pushed back to the point where he has not played at all this summer. Wood states he is best when fresh and there is a body of evidence to support his theory. He will certainly be fresh in Perth.

Stokes and Wood are the only two bowlers in the squad that have played a Test in Australia – overall only five players survive from the previous tour four years ago, a churn that is to be expected when England’s record down under is so wretched.

There are arguably questions about the durability of the entire attack, as all of Archer, Atkinson, Carse and Tongue have had injury problems in the recent past. It was ever thus. Fast bowling is hard work. Archer, the trump card, has shown a recent robustness. It is a collective England could only have imagined in their wildest dreams.

Will Jacks’ inclusion as the cover for Shoaib Bashir perhaps reveals the part, or lack of it, spin will play in the series.

Jacks is a batting all-rounder who played two Tests three years ago and has taken only five first-class wickets this year. In being a tall off-spinner, he mimics the qualities of Bashir and the multi-dimensional aspects of his game give England options. He could, for example, cover for an injured Stokes and still allow for the inclusion of four seamers.

Harry Brook’s elevation to vice-captain was foreshadowed by coach Brendon McCullum more than a week ago. Though entirely logical given Brook is Stokes’ most likely successor as Test captain, it is a blow for Ollie Pope, who now has less to protect him from the challenge of Jacob Bethell.

The Pope-Bethell debate could rumble all the way to Perth, mainly because England missed the opportunity to put it to bed in the summer. They know nothing more about either man than they did in April – Pope missed his chance to nail down the spot and Bethell barely played.

Pope has a career Test average of 35 and almost matched that with 34 in the five home Tests against India. If he does the same against Australia, it would be perfectly adequate.

England need to decide if that is enough, or if they want to roll the dice on a 21-year-old with only one professional hundred, albeit a player who looks like he was built by the batting gods.

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Englandâ€s home and away kits for the 2026 World Cup have surfaced online, showing what the Three Lions could be wearing in Canada, Mexico and the United States next summer.

Thomas Tuchelâ€s side are closing in on qualification for the tournament, which kicks off on June 11, and leaked designs from Opaleak andFooty Headlinesgive fans a first look at the shirts set to feature on the biggest stage.

The home kit keeps the classic white base, complemented by red inserts and navy trim around the collar and sleeves. Its standout detail is an intricate jacquard pattern across the chest and torso, depicting lions and stars, while the inside collar carries the patriotic inscription “Happy and Gloriousâ€.

💥 England x Nike 💥

ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿ New 2026 World Cup Home Kit! pic.twitter.com/gjqdvqyFXP

— Opaleak (@opaleak) September 19, 2025

For the away strip, England return to a familiar red after sporting a navy-purple look at Euro 2024. The design includes a white Nike swoosh, white-trimmed shoulders, and a matching England crest. It marks the fifth time since Nike took over in 2013 that Englandâ€s away kit has gone red.

Though not yet officially unveiled, the designs are already generating excitement – and with anticipation for Tuchelâ€s first World Cup at an all-time high, the shirts are certain to fly off shelves once released.

💣ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿ðŸ”´ ð—•ð—¥ð—˜ð—”ð—žð—œð—¡ð—š: England 2026 World Cup Away Kit Info Leaked: https://t.co/6142zuCDxU

— Footy Headlines (@Footy_Headlines) September 20, 2025

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