Of the 26 England players called up for the World Cup there are 20 who were eligible to represent other countries. The Three Lions boast a diverse squad that features a multiracial and multicultural set of stars.

It’s a dream for any footballer to play for the country they were born in, but some who aren’t given that opportunity opt to wear another nation’s shirt. That eligibility is often due to their parents, who gave birth to many of Thomas Tuchel‘s men after moving to England.

The Republic of Ireland are often beaten to top talent by the English, and that’s the case for many playing at this year’s World Cup. Here, we look at the Englishmen who could have been participating at the tournament for another country.

Defenders

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There are six defenders who were eligible for other countries before choosing to play for England. Ezri Konsa had the choice of four nations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, which Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe opted to represent.

The Aston Villa man could have played for the Congolese through his father. He also had the chance to star for Angola through his mother and could even have pulled on a Portugal shirt if he had claimed Portuguese citizenship through his Angolan roots.

Tuchel surprised many when he selected Jarrell Quansah in his World Cup squad. The former Liverpool man, now at Bayer Leverkusen, had been eligible to play for Scotland, Ghana and Barbados through his grandparents but opted to be a Three Lion.

Another surprise call-up, Djed Spence, is somewhat of a Tuchel favourite. The versatile Tottenham Hotspur full-back has a Jamaican mother and a Kenyan father, but he instead became the first Muslim player to represent England.

Nico O’Reilly is Tuchel’s undisputed starting left-back, and Jamaica had little chance of persuading him to snub his country of birth. The Manchester City youngster’s Jamaican heritage comes through his father.

Grenada and Dominica are minnows in the football world, and they’d have relished calling upon Reece James. The Chelsea captain’s Grenadian roots come through his father, while his mother is of Dominican descent.

Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Trevoh Chalobah could have represented the West African country. He’s only earned one cap for England, where he was raised, but a late call-up after Tino Livramento’s injury means he’s set to confirm his English allegiance.

Midfielders

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Jude Bellingham is one of many Englishmen who could have turned out for the Republic of Ireland. The Real Madrid star’s grandparents were Irish, but he has already become a talisman for the Three Lions.

There is still a chance to see his younger brother, Jobe Bellingham, play for The Boys in Green. The brothers were also eligible to represent Kenya through their mother.

The Ghanaian FA approached Kobbie Mainoo in an attempt to get him to don the shirt of his parents’ birthplace. They failed to persuade the Manchester United midfielder, who was born and raised in Stockport and starred for England at Euro 2024.

Scotland similarly eyed Elliot Anderson during the soon-to-be Manchester City star’s rise. Steve Clarke even revealed in August 2023 that the Tartan Army had “an eye on” the Whitley Bay-born midfielder.

Anderson even represented the Scots from U16 to U21 but switched to England in 2024. He’s been a mainstay in Tuchel’s midfield since the German replaced Gareth Southgate.

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Most English fans know all about Declan Rice’s Irish roots because he even made three appearances for Ireland in friendlies. His decision to switch allegiance to England ignited a huge debate, but FIFA allowed the change because his senior outings hadn’t been competitive.

After making the call in February 2019, he wrote on X: “I consider myself to be of mixed nationality. I have equal respect for both England and Ireland, and therefore the national team I choose to represent is not a clear-cut, simple selection. Ultimately, it is a personal decision I have made with my heart and my head, based on what I believe is best for my future.”

Eberechi Eze had been eligible to play for Nigeria, and the African country had been hopeful during his youth. The Arsenal attacker, born in London, eventually opted to represent England and said, “It is a big opportunity for me; it is the highest level of football. I look at it with no regret at all.”

Attackers

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Every single member of Tuchel’s attack holds dual nationality, including Aston Villa pair Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, who could both have played for Jamaica. That was also the case for Marcus Rashford, whose family heritage also includes Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Rashford has been part of the England setup since debuting aged 18 back in 2016. Another Three Lion with Jamaican roots is Ivan Toney, who even turned the country down in 2022 to focus on firing Brentford to promotion.

Nigeria made a play to try and convince Noni Madueke to play for the Super Eagles during his time at PSV Eindhoven. The Arsenal winger committed to his country of birth and is starting at the ongoing World Cup.

Bukayo Saka also had the option to represent the African nation, but his heart was set on England. He’s become one of the best attacking talents this country has ever produced.

Both Scotland and the Republic of Ireland were snubbed by Anthony Gordon, who declared for the Three Lions ahead of Euro 2024. The Barcelona new boy dreamed of playing for his country where he grew up in Merseyside.

Hannah Mckay via Reuters

If Harry Kane’s grandparents had their way, England’s all-time top goalscorer may well be playing for the Irish. His father’s parents were born and bred in Ireland before emigrating to London, where the Bayern Munich superstar developed into one of the greatest players in the country’s history.

England’s last-16 World Cup clash with Mexico in Mexico City will go ahead at the originally scheduled time of 6pm, despite FIFA holding emergency talks about moving the kick-off time forward by six hours, and it’s now been revealed why the global football organisation ultimately opted against making the change.

The Three Lions secured their passage into this stage of the prestigious international tournament by downing DR Congo in the previous round. Late goals from Harry Kane prevented Thomas Tuchel’s side from suffering a devastating upset and set up a mouth-watering round of 16 tie against Mexico at the famous Azteca Stadium.

Tuchel’s squad flew to Mexico City on Friday afternoon and were met with uncertainty about their fixture in Central America once they arrived.

Reports emerged indicating that FIFA were considering changing the initially scheduled 6pm kick-off time, but these plans have been swiftly ditched for a multitude of reasons.

Why FIFA Wanted to Change England vs Mexico Kick-Off Time

As soon as England progressed into the round of 16, Three Lions fans rued the fact that they’d have to stay up until 1am on Monday morning to watch their team in what is set to be a blockbuster event in Mexico’s capital.

However, England supporters still at home were given a brief period of relief on this front, after it emerged that the game could be brought forward to a more comfortable time of 7pm BST.

After a significant spell of deliberation and emergency talks at FIFA, it was decided that this wasn’t the best course of action, and that the game will commence as planned.

This left fans wondering why FIFA had even considered this drastic logistical change so close to the event, and why it was ultimately abandoned.

According to the Athletic, while reports suggesting that weather was the driving factor for the considerations were somewhat accurate, the primary reason was actually related to fan safety. Four Mexico fans died during the celebrations following the country’s win over Ecuador in the previous round, and organisers were eager to avoid a repeat of this tragic event by bringing kick-off forward.

The idea was that a noon kick-off time would reduce the time supporters could drink in before the match, reducing the chance of crowd trouble between both sets of fans.

Potential thunderstorms were indeed another factor, but the potential for consequences in and around the Azteca was the predominant concern. The fact that talks over such a considerable logistical change reached the stage they did suggests that the concerns from organisers were indeed significant.

Why England vs Mexico Will Still Be Played at 6pm Local Time

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Fans in England will be walking into work with a headache on Monday morning, as FIFA ditched their plans after emergency talks took place.

It’s understood that backlash from those directly involved on the performance side, as well as inconvenienced fans, is the main reason why FIFA ultimately ended up not making this kick-off time alteration.

Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre was particularly aggrieved by the proposed plans.

“It’s a kick in the stomach,” Aguirre told Mexican Radio station Grupo Formula. This changes everything. They informed me about it here, I don’t agree, FIFA calls the shots and we have to swallow garlic and water. Now we have to change our plans, nobody consulted me. Neither I nor my players like this change. I’m pissed off.”

England were also reportedly upset by the potential change, while potential backlash around moving Brazil’s match-up with Norway back an hour was also considered when coming to a verdict.

Ultimately, uprooting the entire logistical and security plan was too big an ask this close to the game. On top of this, Mexican journalist Alberto Lati has revealed that there is actually uncertainty regarding possible electrical storms, and this uncertainty meant such a change couldn’t be justified.

England versus Argentina has always delivered incredible spectacles and iconic moments with some that are immortalised forever in football history.

However, the two sides haven’t crossed paths since their international friendly, which England won, back in 2005. The likes of David Beckham, Diego Maradona, Diego Simeone and Michael Owen are all heavily involved in their history.

As is the World Cup, as both sides enjoyed victories over one another on their way to tournament victories in 1966 and 1986.

To be considered rivals, two entities must have heavy disagreements, feelings of injustice and something between a disliking and hatred for one another — both England and Argentina share those feelings and the story is as rich as any other at international level.

Why Are England and Argentina Rivals?

For two countries — or football teams — to be considered rivals, it rarely takes much. A single game is often enough to spark an intense rivalry that spans decades. In the case of England and Argentina, it all revolves around the World Cup.

Their first meeting was back in 1962, but the beef began in England’s triumphant campaign. Argentina captain Antonio Rattín was sent off for excessive foul play and believed the Spanish referee had been biased towards the home nation as he scuffed the royal carpet on his exit. It led to Sir Alf Ramsey forbidding his players to swap shirts after the match. According to reports, Ramsey harshly warned George Cohen not to exchange jerseys with “that animal”.

Prior to the 1986 clash, the Falklands War in the 1980s added an extra layer of political needle which was enhanced inherently by Maradona. Each clash insisted on being fueled by fire and passion, and it resulted in a rich tapestry of a rivalry that waits to be ignited again.

England vs Argentina Head-to-Head

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With the two sides meeting sparingly over their history, the head-to-head is certainly an interesting read. If all goes well in the World Cup, it could well be added to at the semi-final stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Five of their 12 official meetings took place at the World Cup, with both countries enjoying success. For example, Argentina enjoyed two wins in 1986 and 1998, but England triumphed in 1962 and 1966 as well as in 2002.

The last meeting was in 2005 as Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen combined to defeat a side that included legends such as Javier Zanetti, Hernán Crespo and Carlos Tevez.

England overall record vs Argentina

*One penalty defeat

Notable Games

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1986 World Cup Quarter-final

When it comes to these two nations, they certainly aren’t lacking iconic moments and notable games. Not many games could match the controversy and spectacle of the 1986 World Cup quarter-final. This, of course, brought both the ‘Hand of God‘ and the ‘Goal of the Century’ in one fell swoop, both from the mercurial Maradona.

All of this took place in just eight minutes. First came the handball, which has seemed to haunt goalkeeper Peter Shilton ever since, and then the incredible, mazy run which saw him beat five players before rounding the keeper. This served as a key moment in their push to win the title.

Maradona’s infamous line endures to this day:

1998 and 2002 World Cup Meetings

Another striking moment involved Beckham — in both the 1998 and 2002 tournaments. After being fouled by Simeone in the heat of battle of their Round of 16 clash, he kicked out and was promptly awarded a red card. The English press crucified him for the altercation, blaming him for the team’s defeat.

Years later, Beckham reflected in an Amazon Prime Documentary:

Years of ridicule led to redemption at the subsequent tournament, as he thrashed home a penalty to give England a narrow victory, to which he celebrated with intense passion, in what was a key moment in his career.

If the two were to meet in the 2026 World Cup, it would see the two reignite a feud that stretches back decades. Both could face off in the semi-finals should they win their groups; it would see the reigning champions and Lionel Messi face off against the international dreamers, hoping to end 60 years of hurt.