John Terry has named the England lineup he would start at the 2026 World Cup, after delivering a rather blunt assessment of several of Thomas Tuchel’s decisions ahead of this summer’s tournament. The Three Lions will be aiming to end a 60-year trophy drought when they kick off their campaign across the USA, Canada, and Mexico on June 17.
As is often the case before major international tournaments, much of the pre-match chatter has focused less on who made the squad and more on who missed out. Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Terry claimed that only around 13-14 players in the 26-man squad are truly good enough, while insisting that Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, and Cole Palmer should have made the plane.
However, after being asked to park his frustrations over the notable omissions, as he hopes there will be a method to the madness, the former Chelsea captain has turned his attention to those actually in the squad – and named his preferred starting XI. Unsurprisingly, it’s a selection that is bound to ruffle a few feathers.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are all expected to finish among the top goalscorers in this summer’s tournament.
Goalkeeper and Defence
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There can be no surprises in Terry picking Jordan Pickford between the sticks. The Everton goalkeeper was Gareth Southgate’s trusted number one in every tournament he led England through, and he seems to have only got better with age after helping his side win their first-ever penalty shootout in the 2018 World Cup.
Marc Guehi and Reece James are among the best players in their positions, and with Terry well-versed on the latter’s talents from their time together at Stamford Bridge, those decisions were also likely a no-brainer. He has settled for Nico O’Reilly at left-back, though believes Luke Shaw’s experience could have helped him out.
The only real surprise, however, is that he’s picked Ezri Konsa – fresh off winning the Europa League final with Aston Villa – over John Stones, despite Morgan’s instructions that his team should be picked on the unlikely basis that everyone’s fit.
Midfield
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Most people are starting to come to terms with the fact that Tuchel has a very clear footballing identity, and therefore knows exactly which system players – and profiles – fit what he wants from his team. That is why Morgan Rogers looks set to usurp Jude Bellingham in the attacking midfield role this summer, although Terry would still start the Real Madrid man for his big-game pedigree.
Terry does, however, agree that Elliot Anderson deserves his place alongside Declan Rice at the base of midfield. A relatively new addition to England squads since around this time last year, the Nottingham Forest midfielder has been exceptional in an England shirt, delivering selfless, mature performances that make it feel as though he has been part of the setup for years.
In many ways, he is expected to do the dirty work and “do the running” so that Rice – widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world, having developed into a dominant box-to-box presence and a driving force behind Arsenal’s Premier League success – can be given licence to roam and dictate the game.
Attack
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Snubbing Anthony Gordon for Marcus Rashford is Terry’s final interesting decision. That said, some would argue the Manchester United winger has done enough to warrant a start under Tuchel, despite Barcelona deciding against turning his loan deal permanent, instead splashing out on his England rival.
Bukayo Saka takes up a place on the opposite flank, with no real competition for his starting spot there. Arsenal’s star boy had a quiet season last time out, but he’s still one of the most reliable chance-providers in English football, and his unpredictable nature out on the right pairs perfectly with Rashford/Gordon’s pace on the left.
Liverpool and Manchester United rank surprisingly low compared to their Premier League rivals in a list of the best producers of World Cup winners.
Through the middle, was there ever any doubt that it would be Harry Kane? With 67 goals for club and country since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, no striker is putting up numbers as high as his, and there’s a reason he’s among the favourites for October’s Ballon d’Or.See Terry’s lineup below:
A football fan has spoken out after having his US visa revoked just an hour before his flight to the World Cup was due to take off. This week, issues around entry to the host nation have become a hot topic, with concerns spreading like wildfire, despite Gianni Infantino’s insistence just a handful of months ago that “everyone will be welcomed to the USA” – a sentiment later echoed by Donald Trump.
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo was among the first to run into difficulties with border control, being turned away at the start of June while his teammates travelled without him. Meanwhile, Iran’s head coach was briefly held by border authorities, while Somalian referee Omar Artan was denied entry outright and sent back to Africa, before he had the cance to become the first official from his country to referee at a World Cup, amid fears over alleged links to a terrorist organisation.
But while these are the high-profile cases linked to the host nation’s strict tourism policies, there are many more going under the radar – including ordinary football fans who have spent thousands in the hope of seeing their country play on the world stage.
Despite having a visa, he was ‘denied entry’ by immigration authorities.
Scotland Fan Has US Visa Revoked an Hour Before Flight
Michael Wright had been due to head off to the States for a dream 30th birthday trip with his brother and had tickets for Scotland’s group stage games against Haiti and Morocco. But he ended up having to send his brother through the security gates at Manchester Airport on his own when his visa status switched from “approved” to “pending” and finally to “travel not authorised”.
The Tartan Army member, who is from Greenock but now lives in Australia, said: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that bad. I sent my brother through security because I still wanted him to go and enjoy his holiday. And I didn’t want him to see me ready to break down.” Michael told the BBC he could think of “no valid reason” for the change in his visa status and the US authorities had not given him one.
“In my eyes, there’s no valid reason for them to decline it. I live in what most people would say is the second hardest country in the world to get a visa. I’ve been living there nearly 10 years, reapplying for visas and completing police checks. They (the US authorities) granted it originally so I’m not sure why they’ve decided to look back into it.”
UK Visa Restrictions for USA Entry
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UK citizens who want to go to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa need to apply to the country’s Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). But dozens of fans who filled out the form have said on social media that their application status had changed in the days leading up to the World Cup kicking off on Thursday evening with Mexico vs South Africa.
Some supporters have now been told to make last-minute trips to the US Consulate in Belfast to secure approval of their visas. First Minister John Swinney said he had contacted US officials over the issue and would do “all I can to help” those affected. He said: “I have asked officials to convey our hope that they can resolve this so that Scotland’s fans do not miss out.”
Acting assistant secretary of US Homeland Security, Lauren Bis, previously told the BBC that the tightening of granting ESTAs was because “the Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws. Under the Visa Waiver Program, all ESTA applications are continuously vetted against law enforcement and security databases,” she said. “Travellers must provide complete and truthful information, including all criminal history.”
Michael Wright said the late U-turn had left him feeling “very raw” – as well as thousands of pounds out of pocket. He said: “You’re talking about £4,500 to £5,000 and the only thing I’m ever going to get the money back on is the match tickets. But at this point, I don’t even want to take the money back on them – I’ll probably just give them away.”
Leeds United are set to be active in the summer transfer window, and have lined up a record-breaking move for one star, according to recent reports.
Daniel Farke‘s side enjoyed a successful season last time out, recovering from a rocky start to secure Premier League survival with relative ease in the end.
The Elland Road faithful will be hoping that relegation won’t even be a factor next season, with a strong summer transfer window that could add even more quality and depth to the team.
Several key areas appear to be in focus, but it’s the defence that Leeds appear to be working hardest at recruiting for this summer, as an offer is already being lined up for a target.
It’s stated that the Whites are willing to go to the “extremes” to get a deal over the line, while proposing an offer that would smash their record fee for a signing.
That currently sits at roughly £36 million, which was paid to sign Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim back in January 2023, a move that had mixed reviews come the end.
An offer worth €50 million (£43.1 million) could be on offer from Leeds to Sporting CP to get a deal over the line, with that figure including eventual bonuses reached.
It’s a rough figure that the Portuguese side are willing to start negotiations on, though it remains to be seen whether the structure of the deal needs to be changed to reach an eventual agreement.
Any move could prove tough, especially as Diomande is away on international duty with the Ivory Coast for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, but Leeds seem open to trying for a deal.
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Leeds Centre-Back Contract Dilemma
The arrival of Diomande could bring Leeds some quality in the backline, with the centre-back being described as “phenomenal” in his career so far.
While that comes with experience and even some room to grow for the 22-year-old, his signing will bring some questions surrounding the other centre-backs at Elland Road.
Particularly when it comes to the contract situations of Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon in particular. The former has just one year remaining on his current deal, while the latter has two left on his.
The pair have been incredibly important for the Whites under Farke in recent seasons, but the arrival of Diomande could shake that up once again.
That may make them reconsider their positions with contracts, with a dilemma over whether the club should offer them better terms or not in the coming months.
Everton have been ordered to pay an English club a staggering £40 million after The Toffees lost a legal battle over PSR issues this week, with the Premier League continuing to haunt them.
Wednesday afternoon’s ruling is an unprecedented legal punishment, just three years after the Merseysiders were handed a 10-point deduction by the Premier League in 2023 after falling foul of regulations in the 2021-22 season.
The punishment was then reduced to six points on appeal at the start of 2024. However, the knock-on effect has continued well beyond then, with the ‘what ifs’ of Sean Dyche’s team of that time now having been taken to court by one club it affected more than the Toffees themselves.
Burnley argued, as per The Sun, that if the points’ deduction happened in 2022 – the year they were relegated – Everton would have gone down instead, leading to further retrospective punishment this week.
Everton finished 16th in the 2021-22 season after picking up 39 points – leaving them just points clear of 18th-placed Burnley. The Clarets believe they missed out on millions as a result of going down a division and the case has now gone in their favour.
