ENGLAND boast one of the most talented squads in world football heading into the 2026 World Cup, and the latest World Cup odds reflect just how seriously Tuchel’s side are being taken as contenders. The national team’s history has always drawn on players from well beyond its own borders. From Jamaica to Sierra Leone to Canada, some of the most important figures to have worn the shirt were born thousands of miles from Wembley.
Below, we look at six of those players, including members of Tuchel’s current squad and key contributors from previous generations, and what they delivered for the Three Lions.
Marc Guehi
Marc Guehi was born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 2000, and moved with his family to south London at the age of one. He earned his first senior cap in 2022 and was part of the squad that reached the Euro 2024 final, starting every group stage match and keeping clean sheets against Serbia and Slovenia.
He has since become one of the first names on Tuchel’s teamsheet, captaining the side against Japan earlier this year. A January 2026 move to Manchester City has raised his profile further, and with around 50 caps to his name, he looks set to anchor England’s defence this summer.
Fikayo Tomori
Fikayo Tomori was born in Calgary, Canada, in 1997, to Nigerian parents who moved to England before he turned a year old. He made his senior debut in 2019 and built his reputation at AC Milan, where he was central to the side that won the Serie A title in 2021-22. His pace and composure on the ball made him one of the more complete centre-backs in European football during that period. He has returned to Tuchel’s squad ahead of the World Cup and is pushing for a place in the travelling party.
Trevoh Chalobah
Trevoh Chalobah was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 1999, and moved to London at two years old. He joined Chelsea’s academy at eight and captained England sides from under-16 to under-21 before making his senior debut in June 2025 against Senegal.
In doing so, he joined older brother Nathaniel as a senior England international, making them the first brothers to both represent England since the Nevilles. At 26, Chalobah is still building his case for a World Cup spot, but his physicality and ability to play out from the back give him a strong argument.
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1994, and moved to London at five. He made his senior England debut in 2012 at 17 and went on to earn 82 caps across three World Cups and two European Championships.
Sterling scored three goals in the group stage of Euro 2020, helping England reach the final, and netted in the 6-2 win over Iran at the 2022 World Cup. His international record across three World Cup campaigns is among the strongest of any England player in the modern era.
His story since has been a difficult one. Sterling was left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad after a prolonged absence from the national team, and has not been capped since Qatar. A turbulent spell at Chelsea that saw him effectively frozen out of the first team led to him joining Feyenoord in February 2026. He tod reporters in February that he had not yet spoken to Tuchel, and a recall ahead of the World Cup looks increasingly remote.
Owen Hargreaves
Owen Hargreaves was born in Calgary, Canada, in 1981, to an English father and a Welsh mother. He chose England over Canada and Wales, earning 42 caps between 2001 and 2008.
His 2006 World Cup campaign produced one of the finest individual performances an England player has delivered at a major tournament. When the shootout against Portugal came, he was the only England player to score. He ended the tournament as the FA’s officially voted England Player of the World Cup and England Player of the Year for 2006, the first to win both in the same year.
John Barnes
John Barnes was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1963, and moved to England at 12 after his father was appointed Jamaica’s military post in London. He earned 79 caps and scored 12 goals, becoming one of the most recognisable wingers of his generation.
His World Cup record was a complicated one. Barnes barely featured at the 1986 tournament before coming off the bench for the quarter-final against Argentina, where he set up a Gary Lineker goal. Four years later at Italia 90, he started five of England’s six matches before a groin injury cut his tournament short. A goal against Belgium in the last 16 was disallowed for offside despite replays suggesting otherwise. He retired from international football without the World Cup moment his talent deserved.
Article written by Jack Harris
