Viva's Power Rankings — No.6: England, sixty years of hurt, Bellingham at his peak, and the squad that has no more excuses
England have not won the World Cup since 1966. In 2026 they have Bellingham at 22, a deep and talented squad, and no more reasons to fail. The defensive injuries are a concern. The attacking quality is not.
England arrive at every major tournament carrying the same weight — sixty years, one tournament, a nation that cannot decide whether to believe or brace for disappointment. In 2026 the difference is Jude Bellingham. Not because one player changes everything about a nation's tournament history, but because Bellingham at 22, at Real Madrid, at the peak of his physical and technical development, is a different level of player from anything England have had in the intervening decades. He is the difference between a talented squad that exits in the quarter-finals and a tournament winner.
The defensive absences hurt. Ben White and Jarrad Branthwaite both injured, both watching from home. Thomas Tuchel has had to reorganise a defensive unit that was already being rebuilt around new principles. Those questions will be tested in every knockout match England play.
What England have going for them
The attacking depth is the best England have assembled since the golden generation. Saka at Arsenal, Foden at Manchester City, Bellingham at Real Madrid, Kane at Bayern Munich — these are players who have established themselves at the top of European football and whose quality is not a projection but a demonstrated reality.
Tuchel's pressing system, when it functions at the level he demands, makes England genuinely difficult to play through. The intensity and organisation disrupts opponents' build-up and creates the turnovers in dangerous areas that his system is designed to exploit.
The Bellingham factor
Everything in England's tournament ceiling runs through what Bellingham produces. When he is at his best — the goals, the assists, the defensive contribution, the leadership — England are a complete team. The system accommodates his quality without being entirely dependent on it, but the ceiling rises significantly when he is at his best.
England are sixth rather than higher because the defensive uncertainty is genuine and because the five teams above them have resolved their squads more completely. But the attacking quality and Bellingham's individual ceiling mean England cannot be written off at any stage.
Manager: Thomas Tuchel | Key player: Jude Bellingham
Group: Group L with Croatia, Ghana, Panama
"No more excuses. Bellingham is 22 and the best player in his position in the world. The squad has depth, quality, and a manager who has won things at the highest level. The defensive injuries are a problem — I won't pretend otherwise. But if Tuchel solves that, England reach the semi-finals at minimum. Sixty years is a long time. This is the squad to end it."
Next in the Power Rankings
No.5 tomorrow — The defending champions. A wounded squad missing key players. Still the most dangerous attacking unit in South America. Can Messi deliver one last miracle? Back to VivaSportsHQ →
