Putting the question of how well England can do at the next World Cup to a predominantly British audience always produces interesting answers. For whatever reason, Three Lions supporters tend to be either wildly optimistic or convinced their team will crash out – there is rarely any middle ground. That divide has been evident once again after 10 pundits from across British broadcasters were asked to predict this summer’s tournament.

Under Thomas Tuchel, England’s first non-English manager since Fabio Capello in 2012, the Three Lions will be hoping to finally end a 60-year trophy drought on the other side of the Atlantic in the USA, Canada and Mexico. After becoming the first European nation to come through a full eight-match qualifying campaign with a perfect record and without conceding a goal, optimism was at a level rarely seen in recent years.

However, there are reasons to temper expectations. Key omissions, including Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire, have raised eyebrows, while a damp squib of a pre-tournament friendly against New Zealand – the tournament’s lowest-ranked side – suggested the players are still struggling to cope with the heat.

That result has brought many observers back down to earth ahead of England’s opening match against Croatia on June 17, serving as a reminder that there may still be a few bumps in the road to come. One Football has put in the hard yards to reveal how 10 renowned journalists view England’s chances of bringing football home.

10 Renowned Pundits Have Predicted England’s 2026 World Cup

Gary Neville

What he said: “I’m never arrogant enough not to think quarterfinals is par for England. When you think about Italy aren’t even here. Quarter-final can be par if you lose against a great team, or some form of freak… To use the golf analogy: Par is quarters, I think for England, gotta be par, Birdie is semi-finals, Eagle is final, Albatross is winning it. I’m telling you, you’re talking about a hole-in-one on a par four. Or a two on a par five.

“If England win it, honestly, it’s a freak. Honestly, you’re talking about something that happens like once in a blue moon. In 10 days time, we’ll be England fans, and we’ll be saying ‘absolutely we can win it, no problem’, but do you honestly believe sitting here now that ‘we are going to win this tournament?”

Jamie Carragher

What he said: “I don’t think we’ll get there. I think if England got to the semi-final, I think they’ve done brilliant. In terms of individually, the centre-backs… That’s where I go back to what a lot of the squad is. What you’d call really good Premier League players. You go back to when you had Rio and John Terry. It’s not just that they were great players. They’re playing in the Champions League every week, every season.

“Talking about Marc Guehi, who went to Man City in January, so the majority of his career at a good level – Crystal Palace, really good, did well at City – and Ezri Konsa – won the Europa League – but it’s not coming up against that level of player, week after week, season after season. And it’s just that’s what we’ve got, that’s the best of what we’ve got, it doesn’t mean they’re bad players.”

Ian Wright

What he said: “I think we’ve got a good chance, especially with Harry Kane up front. That’s what I believe.”

Ian Wright, known as the loving uncle of English football, is ever the optimist in any studio he’s a part of. It’s hardly a surprise to learn that he’s excited by the Three Lions’ chances, resting his hopes on the goalscoring prowess of Harry Kane, who has scored 67 goals since the start of last season, and is among the frontrunners for the 2026 Ballon d’Or as a result.

Roy Keane

What he said: “Do I see England winning the World Cup? Absolutely not. Do you know what? When I looked at the squad and particularly defensively, I’m not convinced. And I don’t want to see any stats from anybody say, ‘Oh, they’ve done this in the last two years’ or whatever.

“Some of these games in the qualifying campaigns have been quite easy, but I just don’t see it come a crunch game in the quarter to the semi-finals, whether they’re chasing the game or defending it. The defenders… I’m just not convinced. It’s the centre-halves that would be worrying me. Imagine playing France and the game’s getting stretched… I don’t know.”

Roy Keane couldn’t be less like the aforementioned Wrighty, and the ridiculously high standards he set himself and his teammates during his own playing career has filtered into his punditry work. Angered by everything, never impressed by anything – the Irishman was never going to predict England would see gold.

Gary Lineker

What he said: “I quite like the way Saka has returned to form at the end of the season. Saka’s had his injuries, but I also look at some of our players and I think, especially the ones with spells out, normally you look at our players – particularly from the Premier League – and they look a little bit knackered.

“But a lot of our star players have had spells out whether it is Saka, Harry Kane has been rested quite a lot, the players playing abroad like Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford are looking fit and really strong. That could help us. It would be glorious [to win it], I think. I was five when we won it and have zero memory, so I would love it to happen in my lifetime. I think it will be tough this one, for lots of reasons, but I don’t think it is impossible. I think we’re with an outside shot.”

Alan Shearer

What he said: “I think with the talent that we have… success, I guess, is winning. But when you think about who you’re going up against, Spain or France or Brazil or Argentina, maybe Portugal, I just think as you go deep into the tournament, (there will be) squads better than England. If we defend really well and Harry can do what he’s done, then we have got a live chance of winning it. If we’re going to go deep, then Harry has to fly.”

Lineker’s right-hand man, Alan Shearer has also rested his expectations on the shoulders of Kane. Interestingly, though, he made no mention of the defensive struggles England might encounter like many of fellow pundits have – instead, he gave a positive outlook on that front.

Micah Richards

What he said: “When you look at our starting lineup, I think we have a really good chance. But I feel everyone has to play to the best of their capabilities. In some other teams, you might be able to carry someone. Kylian Mbappe might not do the work off the ball but on the ball you know he will come up with that moment of magic.

“With England at times, too many players have been playing in their shell. Jude Bellingham has had those big moments, but who else? We need more players like that with personality to say ‘this is our time’. I’ll always be confident of England getting to the semi-finals, but they all need to be at their best – if one of them is off, no, I don’t think it comes home.”

Wayne Rooney

What he said: “England and Spain will make the final, and hopefully England will win it. I’m going with Kane to get the Golden Boot.”

Ai believes one other player will pip Kane to the World Cup Golden Boot award, but you can’t knock Rooney’s confidence in believing the Three Lions will go all the way. A part of the 2007 Golden Generation team, the retired Manchester United legend never got that close during his international career, but the times-are-a-changing.

Joe Hart

What he said: “England [will lift the trophy]. But I am not actually that bothered whether I am right or wrong. I just like to back my people and I want England to do it.”

It would seem Joe Hart, England’s former number one, always backs his country to win. But he immediately second-guessed himself by then suggesting he doesn’t care if he’s right or wrong…

Thomas Frank

What he said: “To win the World Cup you need individual quality, and England have definitely got that. Their midfield is very strong and if they can put the right defence together, it is strong enough. They have a real chance. The team will be well-structured because Thomas Tuchel is a top coach, plus they have experience in these tournaments, and I am sure they will get their togetherness right because they seem to have some fantastic characters and leaders in the group.”

It isn’t very often that England are taken seriously by neutral observers, as proven by Keane’s brutal verdict. But as the one on this list with arguably the best contemporary football knowledge (given that he was still a working Premier League manager earlier this year), then Thomas Frank’s verdict is particularly interesting.