England 2026 World Cup Team Preview, Betting Odds, Predictions & Best Bets

By Sarah Lou Jones | Jun 03, 2026, 10:35am

England is one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup. Whether they can lay some previous tournament demons to rest and win their first major trophy since 1966 is yet to be seen, but many expect this England side to reach the latter stages of the World Cup at least.

Thomas Tuchel’s squad is full of talent, particularly going forward. If England is to win it, they’ll need star man Harry Kane to be on top form. Kane is heading into the tournament on the back of a fantastic goalscoring season with club Bayern Munich. England will need him to continue this form if they’re to stand a chance of winning the 2026 World Cup.

England 2026 World Cup Betting Odds

To Win World Cup:
To Reach Final:
To Reach Semifinal:
To Reach Quarterfinal:
To Win Group L:
To Advance From Group:
Group: Group L
FIFA Rank: 4

Many sportsbooks have priced England to win the 2026 World Cup just behind Spain and France, with odds of around +650 available. It’s easy to see why England has been priced reasonably short. They stormed qualification, winning all eight of their qualifying fixtures, scoring 22 goals and conceding none in the process.

For me, though, England will fall just short once more. In previous World Cup tournaments, as well as the European Championships, England have done enough to reach the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and even the Final (2021 saw Italy defeat England on penalties in the European Championships Final). However, when England come up against a side with any real quality, they’re generally swept aside.

Odds on Thomas Tuchel’s side to reach the Final are around +300 with most sportsbooks. As part of FIFA’s new seeding system, England is unlikely to face any other realistic challengers for the title until the latter stages. However, this depends on whether they win Group L, which is no easy feat with Croatia in the same group. England has a tougher potential route to the Final than many are expecting.

England 2026 World Cup Best Bet

It’s really difficult to find value when it comes to betting on England in the 2026 World Cup. As we’ve seen, odds on the 1966 winners to reach the Semi Final stage aren’t particularly attractive, especially when you consider they could face co-hosts Mexico in the Knockout Stages, as well as being in the same group as Croatia.

For our England World Cup Best Bet, we’ve looked at other Prop bet possibilities. We’ve been enticed by odds of +160 for England to score over 13.5 goals across the duration of the tournament.

We’re expecting England to score plenty against Panama in the Group Stage, as well as score against Croatia and Ghana. If England is to make the latter stages of this year’s World Cup, they’ll need to score plenty. With Harry Kane up top, goals shouldn’t be a problem for this England side.

England Best Bet: England O13.5 tournament goals (+160)

England 2026 World Cup Players to Watch

Harry Kane: We’ve mentioned him a couple of times in this guide, but Harry Kane will be England’s main man for the World Cup 2026. Kane has broken a number of Bundesliga goalscoring records during his time at Bayern Munich and heads into the World Cup having scored over 50 goals in all competitions. A shout for Top Goalscorer? Potentially. Odds of +700 for Kane to finish as World Cup top goalscorer are certainly worth considering.

Jude Bellingham: Bellingham will be another key player for England in their World Cup campaign. It’s expected the Real Madrid star will play as an attacking midfielder, potentially in the number 10 role behind Kane. His goalscoring and assists numbers for his club side haven’t been as impressive this season, due to a change in role more than anything, but Bellingham will play a vital role in England’s attacking play.

Nico O’Reilly: Although O’Reilly only made his senior England debut this season, we’re really excited to see the Manchester City star in action in this year’s World Cup. His versatility will be hugely important if England is to reach the latter stages of the competition. O’Reilly has performed incredibly well in his club season, scoring goals and getting assists in the Premier League and Champions League this year. The biggest stage of all won’t faze the youngster at all.

England World Cup History

England are one of only eight teams to have won the World Cup. Their sole title came in 1966 with an extra time win over West Germany. That edition was also the last time England reached the World Cup Final, though they have played in the Third Place playoff fixture twice.

The most recent of these came in the 2018 World Cup, with Belgium defeating England 2-0. In 2022, England reached the Semi Finals but were beaten by France. These two tournaments, though, saw a vast improvement on the previous two editions, where England failed to progress past the first Knockout round.

Photo Credit: AP/Vlasov Sulaj

Sarah Lou Jones

Sarah Lou Jones is a sports content writer who has written about sports and casino betting for websites across the globe. Her work has been featured in online publications from the UK, USA and Canada, along with East Asia, Africa, Oceania and Europe. While Sarah Lou enjoys a wide range of sports and events, her passion lies in soccer. She has written extensively about betting on soccer leagues and tournaments, ranging from the FIFA World Cup and AFCON to the English Premier League and Major League Soccer. Sarah Lou is an expert in odds analysis and finding value in betting. Away from content writing, Sarah Lou is a soccer coach for Manchester Laces, based in the UK. Sarah lives in Manchester and is an avid supporter of Premier League club Manchester City.