Who Starts on the Left for England at the FIFA World Cup?

Who Starts on the Left for England at the FIFA World Cup?

With the World Cup taking place in the USA, Canada and Mexico just around the corner, Thomas Tuchel will be finalising his England squad ahead of his debut tournament as the Three Lions head coach.

There are just 106 days left until the opening game of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa kicks off in Mexico City. For England, their tournament gets off to a start on Wednesday, 17th June, against Croatia before also playing Ghana and Panama to complete the group phase.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 BREAKING: Thomas Tuchel signs new deal as England head coach until June 2028.

“I am very happy and proud to extend my time with England. It is no secret to anyone that I have loved every minute so far of working with my players and coaches, and I cannot wait to lead them to… pic.twitter.com/xopHG2CGU0

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 12, 2026

The tournament will mark a 60-year anniversary of the last time England won a major tournament, which was the World Cup on home soil in 1966. In recent years under Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions have come as close as possible to claiming glory without actually crossing the line, with finals in the last two UEFA Euro competitions as well as a semi-final defeat to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup.

So, the whole of the nation will be hoping that the FA have made the right decision in hiring Thomas Tuchel to lead the team overseas and bring the Jules Rimet Trophy back home on Sunday 19th July.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🆚🇭🇷
Wednesday 17 June, 9pm (UK)
Dallas Stadium 🇺🇸

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🆚🇬🇭
Tuesday 23 June, 9pm (UK)
Boston Stadium 🇺🇸

🇵🇦🆚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Saturday 27 June, 10pm (UK)
New York New Jersey Stadium 🇺🇸

Our @FIFAWorldCup Group L kick-off times and venues have been confirmed 👊 pic.twitter.com/tOtuicNOsE

— England (@England) December 6, 2025

Tuchel has had a very successful managerial career at club level, but will he be able to repeat that success on the international stage this summer? He certainly has an array of talent to work with, which could cause him a headache when trying to decide who makes it onto the plane in the summer and how each player fits the system.

Many of the positions within the starting eleven for the Three Lions pick themselves with guaranteed starters such as Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice and Harry Kane. However, there are a few positions on the team sheet, such as the left winger position, that are relatively open, with many candidates currently trying to earn the shirt.

So, what options does Thomas Tuchel have available to him to play on the left side of the attack this summer?

Marcus Rashford

After spending many seasons at Manchester United since coming through the academy ranks, Marcus Rashford is currently playing his football in Spain with Barcelona. He has certainly had a good season with 32 appearances so far in all competitions and in those appearances, he has accumulated 20 goal contributions. He offers pace to the England side, which is sometimes needed with Harry Kane liking to drop in deep. Another thing in which Rashford can offer England is that, similarly to the next player on this list, he can lead the line also, which gives Tuchel an alternative to Harry Kane if it's required.

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Barcelona have decided to sign Marcus Rashford permanently. 💙❤️🤝

The Spanish club plan to activate the €30M buy option in Rashford’s loan deal from Manchester United and plan to offer the forward a three-year contract.

The club believe it would be… pic.twitter.com/VJRpE038hW

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 6, 2026

Anthony Gordon

Anthony Gordon has been an integral part of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side since his move to St James’ Park from Everton in 2022. Similarly to Rashford, Gordon is quite a direct winger who likes to use his pace to beat defenders and get in behind. Something else that Gordon offers is his willingness and hard work when tracking back and defending, which not all wingers in the modern game possess. He is certainly someone in Tuchel’s plans, as he has made a few starts in recent international breaks.

Morgan Rogers

Morgan Rogers has been Aston Villa’s standout player for the last couple of seasons and that has earned him a few call-ups to Thomas Tuchel’s squads for recent international breaks. In these international breaks he has often been used by Tuchel as a number 10 in the absence of the likes of Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer. But Rogers is a versatile player, with Unai Emery often using him on the left for Aston Villa, so he is definitely someone that offers something slightly different to Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford.

Eberechi Eze

Possibly the least likely to start England’s World Cup opener off on the left is Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze. When arriving at the Emirates, many thought that Eze would be deployed as a left winger in Mikel Arteta’s side; however, he has been used through the centre in the midfield mostly. In recent months, his minutes have also been limited for the Gunners, but it is clear the quality that he possesses on the ball and his ability to unlock a defence. Eberechi Eze is almost guaranteed to have a place on the plane, but starting on the left wing for the opener is unlikely.

Who We Think Tuchel Will Select

Our prediction is that Thomas Tuchel will lean towards Marcus Rashford to begin the game on the left wing against Croatia in England’s World Cup opener in June. This is mainly because of Rashford’s previous experience in these major international tournaments. Therefore, we would start Rashford and look to introduce the likes of Gordon, Rogers or Eze later on in the game to help change the game and add something different to England’s attacking phases.

Our Predicted XI for England’s World Cup Opener

Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Harry Kane.