England's national football team: players, coach, FIFA world rankings, World Cup

England's national football team: players, coach, FIFA world rankings, World Cup

Helix Odhiambo
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:01 PM

England's national football team has some of the best English players who also play for top clubs in the Premier League. However, they have always struggled to get to the top of the international pecking order. This article looks into details about the team's history, players, and world rankings.

England's national football team players
The Three Lions line up for the national anthem before their international friendly match against Cote D'Ivoire at Wembley Stadium on 29 March 2022 in London, England. Photo: Eddie Keogh
Source: Getty Images

English football has grown and gained popularity worldwide. The national team has also improved its performance and now ranks among the top teams globally. Does England's national football team have a nickname? What have they achieved in soccer?

Profile summary

  • Full name: England national football team
  • Nickname: The Three Lions
  • Founded: 1870
  • Managed by: The Football Association (FA)
  • Affiliations: FIFA, UEFA
  • FIFA code: ENG
  • Stadiums: Wembley Stadium
  • Colours: White, red
  • Captain: Harry Kane
  • Head coach: Gareth Southgate
  • World ranking: 5 (as of May 2022)
  • Highest ranking: 3 (2021)
  • Lowest ranking: 27 (1996)
  • All-time top scorer: Wayne Rooney (53)
  • Most appearance: Peter Shilton (125)
  • Facebook: @EnglandTeam
  • Twitter: @England
  • Instagram: @england
  • Website: www.englandfootball.com

History

England's national football team nickname
The Three Lions ahead of their 1970 World Cup group match against Czechoslovakia on 11 June 1970 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Photo: Popperfoto
Source: Getty Images

Soccer is the most loved sport in many parts of the world, including England. According to history, the Three Lions and the Scotland national football team are considered the oldest national football teams globally.

They first met in a friendly match on 5 March 1870 at The Oval in London that ended with a 1-1 draw. Since then, the Three Lions have participated in several competitions, including the World Cup and European Championship.

England's national football team nickname

The team is usually referred to as the Three Lions. The nickname originates from the three lions featured on the badge of the players' shirts.

England's national football team trophies

The Three Lions have featured in 14 World Cup tournaments and 10 European Championships but have only won an international trophy once.

1996 World Cup Triumph

England's national football team World Cup
The Three Lions captain Bobby Moore lifts the World Cup trophy following their victory over West Germany in the final on 30 July 1966. Photo: Bettmann
Source: Getty Images

England won their first and only World Cup in 1966 after beating West Germany 4-2 in extra time. A squad inspired by Alf Ramsey, Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore swept aside Argentina and Portugal before overcoming the Germans in the final.

Since then, the England national football team's World Cup campaign has never been perfect. The closest they ever came to winning a second title was in 2018 when they lost to Croatia in the semi-final.

European Championship (Euros)

The Three Lions have never won a European Championship but came close in Euro 2020. They swept aside several sides to reach the finals but lost 4-3 on penalties to Italy after a 1-1 draw in extra time.

Olympics

Does England's national football team have an Olympics team? The Three Lions have never featured at the Olympics independently but compete as Great Britain. So, what is England's national football team ranking?

England's national football team: world rankings

England's national football team ranking
English players stand on the pitch ahead of the EURO 2020 final against Italy at Wembley Stadium. Photo: Christian Charisius
Source: Getty Images

The Three Lions' performance has significantly improved in the past few years. As a result, their ranking has also gotten better. According to the latest FIFA ranking, the team is currently placed in position 5 globally with 1755.52 points.

Their best-ever ranking was position 3 in September 2021, with 1755.44 points. Meanwhile, the Three Lions' worst ranking was 27, with just 48 points in February 1996.

England's national football team roster

The current crop of England's national football team players consists of young talented stars like Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka, and Mason Mount. Most of them play for top clubs in the English Premier League. Below is a list of the 2022 squad.

Goalkeepers

  • Jordan Pickford
  • Nick Pope
  • Fraser Forster

Defenders

  • Conor Coady
  • Marc Guehi
  • Harry Maguire
  • Tyrone Mings
  • Tyrick Mitchell
  • Luke Shaw
  • John Stones
  • Kyle Walker-Peters
  • Ben White

Midfielders

  • Jude Bellingham
  • Conor Gallagher
  • Jordan Henderson
  • Mason Mount
  • Declan Rice
  • James Ward-Prowse

Strikers

  • Phil Foden
  • Jack Grealish
  • Harry Kane
  • Raheem Sterling
  • Mile Smith Rowe

Who is England's national football team captain?

England's national football team captain
England's skipper Harry Kane and manager Gareth Southgate during their friendly match against Switzerland at Wembley Stadium on 26 March 2022. Photo: Visionhaus
Source: Getty Images

Harry Kane is currently the skipper of the national side. He was named the captain in May 2018, ahead of their World Cup campaign in June the same year. Kane is widely considered among the best strikers in the world.

His distinctive form and goalscoring exploits have earned him much praise globally. The Tottenham forward is also among the all-time leading scorers for his nation with 49 goals.

England's national football team coach

In November 2016, the Football Association appointed Gareth Southgate as the national head coach. Southgate took charge of a struggling team and quickly transformed it into one of the best worldwide.

He guided the Three Lions to the semis of the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Euro final. Southgate has shown trust in the young generation as he models the squad for the future.

England's national football team fixtures

The there Lions have won four of their past five matches. Their next five games will be in the UEFA Nations League.

Last five games

  • ENG 1-1 Hungary (WC Qualification)
  • ENG 5-5 Albania (WC Qualification)
  • San Marino 0-10 ENG (WC Qualification)
  • ENG 1-1 Switzerland (Friendly)
  • ENG 3-0 Côte d'Ivoire (Friendly)

Upcoming matches

  • Hungary vs ENG (4 June 2022)
  • Germany vs ENG (7 June 2022)
  • ENG vs Italy (11 June 2022)
  • ENG vs Hungary (14 June 2022)
  • Italy vs ENG (23 September 2022)

As the 2022 World Cup approaches, England's national football team remains one of the clubs to watch. Will the current crop of players deliver their second title of the global showpiece?

READ ALSO: Revealed! The top 10 worst players in the Premier League ever

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The list include Junior Lewis, Milton Nunez, Radamel Falcao, Harry Marguire, and Jozy Altidore. Are you wondering why they are the worst? Click here!

Authors
Helix Odhiambo photo
Helix Odhiambo
Helix Odhiambo is an award-winning Kenyan journalist and content creator with over 6 years of experience. In 2016, he won the Goal Blaze Correspondent Award for young writers.