Is this World Cup England's best chance since 1966?


England is tipped by many to finally come of age this summer. With a first-class manager in Thomas Tuchel, three Premier League champions and Harry Kane who has scored almost 70 goals in all competitions this season, the 2026 World Cup is seen as a tournament where the Three Lions may finally be able to win. It's been 60 years since most of the West Ham team won the World Cup in 1966, leading to an agonizing wait for England supporters who may find their fix in the US, Canada and Mexico. Can England really bring it home this time? Of course we've been here before. Several times even. In 1970, just four years after that famous triumph, the defending champions were seen as favorites to win again and came through a tough Group 3 as runners-up. But Gordon Banks suffered a mysterious illness before the quarter-final against West Germany, and with him disappeared England's hopes of retaining the Jules Rimet Trophy. Considering that year's Brazilian team, considered one of the best ever, it is unlikely the Three Lions would have even returned. The biggest 'what if' since then came in 1986. Bobby Robson's team looked solid without being particularly spectacular in the group stages, but took the lead in the quarter-finals and seemed to have the upper hand against Argentina. They had Gary Lineker in good form, who would win the Golden Boot. But then Diego Maradona pushed the ball into the net with his clenched fist, or 'Hand of God', and the momentum shifted to Argentina. Maradona then scored a sublime second to deny England a winnable semi-final against the unfavored Belgians. Had they made it this far, they could have secured a second final against the Germans, 20 years after the first. The closest the Three Lions have ever come is undoubtedly in 1990. After a comeback win from 3-2 against Cameroon in the quarter-final, Graham Taylor's team were level at 1-1 against West Germany thanks to a Gary Lineker equalizer. The Leicester-born striker, who would go on to win the Golden Boot again that year, scored in the ensuing penalty shootout, but Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle failed to find the net as Die Mannschaft triumphed 4–3. The Germans went on to win the final against an Argentine team that scored just two goals in the knockout stages, and you can't help but feel that England could have done that if Pearce and Waddle had remained calm. Both 2002 and 2006 were also seen as good opportunities, but failed for various reasons. In the first, an England squad ravaged by injuries had the misfortune to face an inspired Brazil with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo in the quarter-final, with Ronaldinho eliminating England with a sublime free-kick. But the events of four years later were far more shameful. Once again, injury concerns hung like a dark cloud over hopes that summer, following Wayne Rooney's broken metatarsal in the regular season and Michael Owen's knee injury against Sweden. Questions were also asked about thetactical decisions from late-race Sven-Göran Eriksson, who left the in-form Darren Bent at home for a 17-year-old Theo Walcott, while now Manchester United manager Michael Carrick barely featured. England limped through the group stages and their last 16 match against Ecuador before being knocked out in that infamous quarter-final against Portugal. And so we arrive at the era of Gareth Southgate. It would be easy to see the ex-Middlesbrough manager's first tournament appearance in 2018 as a missed opportunity, given the Three Lions reached their first semi-final in 30 years and took the lead against a Croatian team that had little expectation of getting that far. But the truth is that England themselves weren't expected to do much after picking up just one point in the 2014 group stages and being knocked out by Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. Simply reaching the last four in those circumstances was an achievement, and even if Southgate's team had held on against the Croatians they would undoubtedly have been mauled by an all-powerful France in the final. The 2022 tournament, however, was much more troubling. A disappointing 0-0 group stage draw against the USA rang alarm bells, but comprehensive wins of 6-2 and 3-0 over Iran and Wales respectively gave the impression that England were serious contenders for the first time in a generation. As well as the dominant win in the last 16 over Senegal. But despite being the better side against France in the quarter-final, England fell 2–1, with Kane missing a penalty that could have made the score 2–2. Losing to the defending champions is nothing to be ashamed of, but victory would have secured a semi-final against unfavored Morocco and eventual champions Argentina didn't look invincible during their own campaign either. Given those circumstances, it's hard not to feel that England would have won the whole thing had they been more clinical against Didier Deschamps' team. So, given all this, is this really England's best chance since 1966? No, it's not. At least not yet. This year's field is very strong, and even if Tuchel's side win their group, they will likely have to face a Carlo Ancelotti-led Brazil and current European champions Spain to achieve ultimate glory. But it is the best chance the Three Lions have had since 1990, and with a squad reportedly yet to reach its peak, there will be other opportunities even if they fall short this time. It will take a good performance against Croatia in their opening Group L match tonight to get the England fans in line with Tuchel prioritizing squad balance over bringing as much quality as possible. Whatever happens this summer, England fans can look forward to a very, very exciting future.

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