FIFA World Cup 2026: England reveal squad numbers for tournament - but will Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford start opener against Croatia?

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England have officially announced their squad numbers for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup in North America, with the decision to hand Jude Bellingham the No. 10 shirt perhaps the most eye-catching decision ahead of the tournament.

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Bellingham, who adorns the No. 5 shirt at Real Madrid, also wore the No. 10 shirt at Euro 2024 - but the battle to be Thomas Tuchel's first-choice creative midfielder from a central position has been a hot topic all season.

The omissions of both Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have paved the way for Bellingham to make the role his own, but he will still face plenty of competition from Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers, who have been handed the No. 21 and No. 17 shirts respectively.

While there is no direct correlation between being handed a low shirt number and being in Tuchel's first XI, Nico O'Reilly's credentials as a starter at left-back appear to have been further enhanced by him being handed the No. 3 jersey.

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On the opposite flank, Reece James will hope to cement his position at right-back, and his No. 24 shirt is not a reflection of where he stands in Tuchel's thoughts, but rather, it is the same squad number he possesses at Chelsea.

Despite playing sparingly for Manchester City this season, the England manager appears to be a fan of John Stones, with the centre-back's No. 5 shirt suggesting he remains first-choice alongside Marc Guehi, who will wear No. 6 in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane retains the No. 9 shirt, with Jordan Pickford holding onto the No. 1 jersey from previous tournaments, while Marcus Rashford has been handed the No. 11 jersey instead of his direct competition for the left side of the attack, Anthony Gordon, with Barcelona's new signing given No. 18.

The debate around who partners Declan Rice (No. 4) in midfield will become clearer after two World Cup warm-up games against New Zealand (21:00 BST, Saturday, June 6) and Costa Rica (21:00 BST, Wednesday, June 10) - but Elliot Anderson will take confidence from being handed the No. 8 jersey.

Fellow central-midfield candidate Kobbie Mainoo will wear the No. 16 shirt while Jordan Henderson will put on No. 14.

Meanwhile, Tuchel believes his side have the quality to make a deep run at the World Cup, despite the challenges posed by heat, humidity and altitude across the Atlantic.

The squad has travelled to Florida for a 10-day acclimatisation camp ahead of the tournament, although several players will join later following recent club commitments, including Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka (No. 7) and Rice, while Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson (No. 13) is also expected to arrive after England's friendly against New Zealand.

Tuchel said preparations in Florida had reinforced his confidence in the squad.

"When I reconnected with the games and built our training sessions and meetings to reconnect the team in Florida with what we have built already, I saw a lot of quality," Tuchel told Sky Sports.

England have already arrived in the United States

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"That instantly gave me the full belief and excitement that we can go a long way."

The England boss acknowledged that the conditions would be unfamiliar for his players after a demanding domestic season.

"We are not used to being in this kind of heat and humidity, and even altitude, if we play in Mexico," he added. "There will be a lot of challenges in this World Cup. The heat is one of them, but we are prepared already.

"We know the individual reaction of the players to the heat, and we have cooling strategies in place. We've had help from Team GB and specialists all over the world to come up with solutions that help the players to adapt.

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"We know exactly the amount of time we want to expose them in pre-camp, the ideal amount of time that you should train in the sun and that we also don't do too much."

England's preparations come after concerns over extreme temperatures during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

However, Tuchel stressed that England are focused on solutions rather than excuses.

"It [the heat] is a factor, but it should not come across that we are already making excuses," he continued. "It's just not in our favour, and it is an obstacle to overcome."

It was also revealed on Tuesday that England would wear their home strip for their opening two group games against Croatia and Ghana, with the new red strip to be worn in their final group match against Panama.

England's World Cup squad numbers

1: Jordan Pickford
2: Ezri Konsa
3: Nico O'Reilly
4: Declan Rice
5: John Stones
6: Marc Guehi
7: Bukayo Saka
8: Elliot Anderson
9: Harry Kane
10: Jude Bellingham
11: Marcus Rashford
12: Tino Livramento
13: Dean Henderson
14: Jordan Henderson
15: Dan Burn
16: Kobbie Mainoo
17: Morgan Rogers
18: Anthony Gordon
19: Ollie Watkins
20: Noni Madueke
21: Eberechi Eze
22: Ivan Toney
23: James Trafford
24: Reece James
25: Djed Spence
26: Jarell Quansah

England's World Cup group games

England vs Croatia - June 17, Dallas, 21:00 BST
England vs Ghana - June 23, Boston, 21:00 BST
Panama vs England - June 27, New York-New Jersey, 22:00 BST

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