© AFP
On November 20, the 22nd FIFA World Cup begins. The sports event, almost leading up to Christmas, will attract fans of various national teams from around the world to support their teams.
The most visited country's football portal "Eurofootball.com" will provide reviews of national teams participating in the World Cup, aimed at getting to know each team closer.
This time we look at one of the favorites - the England national team.
Team history and achievements
The team with the longest football history played its first match in 1872 against Scotland (0:0). It was the first international football match in history.
England has participated in the World Cup 16 times, and in 1966, they triumphed. In the final, the English team defeated West Germany 4:2.
After this victory, there followed a series of unsuccessful tournaments. Some of them ended in the early stages, while others, like the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, saw England eliminated in the group stage.
The last World Cup in 2018 was one of the most successful for England, where the team fought for third place but lost to Belgium 2:0.
After a decent World Cup, high hopes were placed on England for the 2020 European Championship, where the main matches (including the final) took place in England.
The "Three Lions" had a very successful tournament and made it to the final. However, they lost to the Italian footballers after a penalty shootout.
Predicted team composition
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (“Everton”), Aaron Ramsdale (“Arsenal”), Nick Pope (“Newcastle”).
Defenders: Kieran Trippier (“Newcastle”), Trent Alexander-Arnold (“Liverpool”), Ben White (“Arsenal”), John Stones (Manchester “City”), Harry Maguire (Manchester “United”), Ben Chilwell (“Chelsea”), Luke Shaw (Manchester “United”), Eric Dier (“Tottenham”), Marc Guehi (“Crystal Palace”).
Midfielders: Declan Rice (“West Ham”), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester “City”), Jordan Henderson (“Liverpool”), Jude Bellingham (Dortmund “Borussia”), Mason Mount (“Chelsea”), Jack Grealish (Manchester “City”), Phil Foden (Manchester “City), Jarrod Bowen (“West Ham”).
Forwards: Harry Kane (“Tottenham”), Bukayo Saka (“Arsenal”), Raheem Sterling (“Chelsea”), Ivan Toney (“Brentford”), Jadon Sancho (Manchester “United”).
Team coach
The England team is coached by Gareth Southgate. The 52-year-old specialist has been with the national team since 2016.
Prior to that, the Englishman coached the country's U21 team for three years, and from 2006 to 2009, he coached his only club during his career - “Middlesbrough”.
Southgate has been at the helm of the England team in two championships. In 2018, they finished fourth in the World Cup, and in 2020, they managed to reach the final of the European Championship.
Gareth Southgate has coached the England team in 76 matches. During this time, they achieved 46 wins, 17 draws, and suffered 13 losses.
Group stage opponents
England will compete in Group B alongside Wales, the USA, and Iran.
The biggest history between them undoubtedly took place against the Wales national team, against which England played 103 matches. England won 68 of these matches, drew 21, and suffered 14 losses.
Against the USA team, England played five times, achieving 3 wins, one draw, and one loss. The last match between these teams was in 2018, where England beat their opponents 3-0.
Meanwhile, England will face the Iran national team for the first time in history.
Conclusion
England are undoubtedly the favorites in Group B, but this team will not be satisfied with just reaching the knockout stages. The last two major championships were solid for the England team, and this year the goal remains the same - to become champions.
