England’s World Cup campaign gets underway on 17 June when Thomas Tuchel’s side face Croatia in Dallas, with kick-off scheduled for 21:00 BST.
BBC Sport pundits have been sharing their preferred starting elevens ahead of the Three Lions’ opening Group Stage fixture at the tournament.
One of the key debates centres on the centre-back pairing, with Marc Guehi, John Stones, and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa all competing for starting berths in defence.
Another talking point is whether Jude Bellingham, who will wear the number 10 shirt at the tournament, actually starts the opening game against Croatia.
Former England defender Micah Richards says Jordan Pickford is an easy pick in goal, while he would also start Reece James at right-back, provided the Manchester City man is fully fit.
Richards would select John Stones over Ezri Konsa, saying: “I just believe on the ball at international football Stones can dictate and if we need to keep the ball in a game, he is one that can certainly do that.”
He would hand the left-back spot to Nico O’Reilly, adding that he would pick Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice in central midfield, with Bellingham ahead of them in the number 10 role.
Richards said of Bellingham: “I think he is a genuine superstar. I think there is two genuine stars in him and Harry Kane.”
The former defender would go with Marcus Rashford on the left wing over Anthony Gordon, keeping Bukayo Saka on the right and Harry Kane as the central striker.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart also named his preferred XI, saying: “I hate doing stuff like this… I have picked this XI as I think it is the most well-balanced team to set the tournament up.”
Hart was keen to stress the importance of the wider squad, noting: “By no way, shape or form do I think that this squad will play every game. The squad has such an important role to play.”
He added: “You could change seven of those because the squad is so good. I love them all, and I want them all to do well.”
Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson would start Bellingham, saying: “I think Jude Bellingham has shown in the past two warm-up games why he should start for England. It is so close between him and Morgan Rogers.”
Robinson would go with Ezri Konsa rather than Stones alongside Guehi at the back, saying he fully expects Stones to play but feels Konsa deserves his place in the starting lineup.
Former England captain Steph Houghton and former striker Alan Shearer also named their preferred XIs as debate continues to rage over Tuchel’s best team heading into the tournament.
