England’s World Cup 2026 journey simulated – Thomas Tuchel’s surprising squad faces a big shock
Thomas Tuchel has picked his final 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup, and we’ve run a simulation to see how the Three Lions might do. The tournament will be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, but England will play all their group games in the US. They’re in Group L with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
Tuchel made some surprising choices, leaving out players like Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Foden, Adam Wharton, and Cole Palmer. On the other hand, Ivan Toney made the cut after being the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League. Jordan Henderson and Dan Burn also earned spots thanks to their leadership and positive influence in the locker room.
Some key players like Harry Kane, Declan Rice, and Jordan Pickford are almost certain to start the first game against Croatia. Bukayo Saka, Marc Guehi, and Reece James look set to play too, while Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham compete for the attacking midfield spot.
We put the full squad into Football Manager 2026, which now features international management, to see how far Tuchel and his team could go. According to the game, England should make it out of the group stage but without perfect results. They draw 1-1 with Croatia, then bounce back with a 5-0 win over Ghana, and finish by beating Panama 2-0.
Tuchel lines up in a 4-3-3 formation, with a defensive midfielder and two attacking midfielders behind captain Kane. Winning the group puts England up against DR Congo in the round of 32. While DR Congo have some strong players, England wins 2-0 and moves on.
Next, England faces Ecuador, beating them 2-1 — echoing their 2006 World Cup win over the same team. This victory sends England to the quarter-finals to face Ivory Coast. Although Ivory Coast have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times, they’ve never made it past the World Cup group stage before.
Ivory Coast returns stronger in 2026, with stars like Wilfried Zaha, Amad Diallo, Ousmane Diomande, and Franck Kessie. They shock England by winning 2-1 in the quarter-finals. England took the lead through Kane, but Zaha and Diallo scored to turn the game around.
Tuchel’s tactics in the simulation were similar to real life, with some shifts in midfield roles. At the back, Pickford was in goal, with Stones and Guehi as center-backs, Nico O’Reilly at left-back, and Reece James moving inside when attacking.
England had eight shots on target against Ivory Coast but only two big chances, and their opponents slightly dominated possession. Despite Ivory Coast’s upset, they didn’t make it to the final.
The World Cup final was between Germany and France at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. It was an exciting game, with France’s Ousmane Dembele equalizing twice, but Germany’s Joshua Kimmich scored the winning penalty in extra time to give Germany their fifth World Cup win.