The Three Lions may have come up short in Qatar, but this is unlikely to be the last time most of their players grace the World Cup stage
The wait for 'it' to come home (at least in the men's game) goes on, as England came up short in their quest to win a first World Cup since 1966 after quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar.
Harry Kane's missed penalty proved to be the difference in the end, and with Gareth Southgate still to decide whether he will continue in the job, the Three Lions are in a state of flux for the first time in at least four years.
That is not to say that England fans should panic. The core of their team is still very young, and there are plenty of countries who would bite your hand off if you offered them a run of semi-final, final and quarter-final in successive major tournaments.
They are likely to be one of, if not the favourites to win Euro 2024 in 18 months' time, but what about the next World Cup and their chances of ending a 60-year wait for a global title?
GOAL has broken down what we think their team will look like by the time the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico rolls around…
Getty ImagesGK: Aaron Ramsdale
This might seem harsh on Jordan Pickford, who has never let England down and will only be 32 when the next World Cup comes around, but we're erring on the side of youth here in picking Ramsdale.
The Arsenal goalkeeper is four years younger than Pickford and looks set to be the starter for a club who are playing Champions League football over the coming years.
The only other candidate right now looks to be Dean Henderson, who is currently 25 and was part of the squad as recently as September.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Reece James
Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier have both likely played their last World Cup matches at the age of 32, and so the battle to be England's right-back will soon start to focus on James and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James is 14 months younger than the Liverpool man and a more rounded full-back so we've gone for him, even if few players can produce what Alexander-Arnold can with his right foot at times.
There are, though, some younger players who could force their way into the conversation before 2026, including Southampton's Tino Livramento (20), Manchester City's Rico Lewis (18) and Brooke Norton-Cuffy (18) of Arsenal, who was part of England's European champion Under-19s team earlier in 2022.
Getty ImagesCB: John Stones
Stones has already been a starter at two World Cups, and we're backing him to graduate to the role of seasoned veteran by the time the 2026 edition begins.
The Man City defender will turn 32 shortly before the tournament kicks-off, and his big-match experience and comfort in possession should mean he remains a key member of the team.
The most obvious alternative for Stones would be Ben White, who is three years younger than the City man and shares a similar skillset, even if he is currently playing predominantly at right-back for Arsenal.
We want to throw out the names of a couple of 17-year-olds who could emerge over the next few years, too: Ashley Phillips has been linked with a host of top Premier League clubs after breaking into the Blackburn Rovers first team, while Josh Feeney trains with the Aston Villa senior squad and has regularly captained England at youth level.
Getty ImagesCB: Fikayo Tomori
It seems an age ago now, but Tomori was the name on everyone's lips when England named their squad for Qatar, with many questioning why the AC Milan man wasn't picked.
All things being equal, he should now start to force his way into the reckoning more often, and he will be in the prime of his career at 27 when the next World Cup begins.
Tomori's fellow Chelsea academy graduate Marc Guehi (22) is also expected to earn further call-ups if he continues impressing for Crystal Palace, while there are high hopes at Stamford Bridge for Levi Colwill (19), even if his loan spell at Brighton is yet to yield many returns.