Ten days out from England’s first World Cup match, we now know the 26 men who will be getting on the plane to Qatar, aiming to end 56 years of hurt.
But how does the squad differ from those that have failed before? How similar is it to the one that was victorious in 1966? And is Gareth Southgate England’s most defensive manager ever?
We took a look at some of the key numbers.
But first, the names:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham United).
Forwards: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), James Maddison (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United).
Balance of youth and experience
The average age of this squad – 26 years and six months – is almost exactly the same as the one that lifted the Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley in 1966.
Southgate appears to be reaping the rewards of being willing to introduce young players to his squad early.
While the players he’s picked are younger than normal for an England World Cup side, the number of caps and goals in the team are among the highest they’ve ever been.
Jude Bellingham has 17 caps at just 19-years-old, for example, and Bukayo Saka has four goals from his 20 appearances despite having just turned 21.
You can see how the average age, caps, and goals has increased since 2018 as Southgate has named 12 of the same names in both.
Harry Kane has added 38 goals to his tally since then, from just 37 games, while Raheem Sterling has 17 from 41.
Harry Maguire has played the most for England since the last World Cup, going from five to 48 caps over that time.
Even some of the most experienced players in the squad, like Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier and Declan Rice, were given their England debuts by Southgate and have played their entire senior careers under him.
The likes of John Stones, Luke Shaw and Eric Dier have been with the manager since his first under-21s game in charge.
Where do the players come from?
Twelve different club sides are represented among the 26. Manchester City have the most players in the squad, with five, while Newcastle, Chelsea, Manchester United and top of the table Arsenal have three each.
Despite that, the average club league position of players in the England team is lower than it has been in recent years, meaning fewer players are performing regularly at the top level.
Perhaps those club rivalries that plagued the talented England sides of the 2000s will be easier to put to one side as a result, however.
Is Southgate too defensive?
Gareth Southgate has often been criticised for lining his sides up too defensively and not making the most of exciting attacking talents.
He took 10 defenders to Russia in 2018 – half of the outfield squad – but despite having three extra spaces to fill, he’s picked just eight this time around.
The eight forwards in the squad actually make it the most attacking line-up since 1962.
The form guide
England’s Nations League performances over the past 12 months have been pretty shocking by all accounts, with a 4-0 home loss to Hungary the most humiliating example.
Even a 3-3 draw against Germany in the final pre-Qatar fixture wasn’t enough to save the team from having a worse record leading into a World Cup than any other England side.
Flawless form leading into the 2006 and 1986 tournaments didn’t equate to success, however, so maybe the opposite will be true this time around.
