England World Cup Squad Described As Best Ever, Says Kane Ahead Of Tournament

Harry Kane expects England to travel to the World Cup with the strongest group he has seen, as the Three Lions chase a first title since 1966 under Thomas Tuchel, who leads England into a major tournament for the first time in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Analysts from the Opta supercomputer rate England as third favourites for the World Cup, assigning Tuchel’s team an 11% chance of lifting the trophy. That figure trails only European champions Spain on 16% and France on 13%, adding further weight to Kane’s belief in the current squad.

England have been placed in Group L and begin their campaign against Croatia on 17 June in Dallas. The second match is against Ghana in Foxborough, before a final group fixture with Panama in New York, as Tuchel’s team aim to control the group early.

Before heading to North America, England will fine-tune preparations with two friendlies. Tuchel’s side meet New Zealand on 6 June and then face Costa Rica on 10 June. The head coach will name the World Cup squad on Friday, giving players one final chance to impress before the announcement.

This tournament marks Tuchel’s first World Cup as England head coach and places the German among a small group of non-English managers to lead the Three Lions. Tuchel follows Sven-Goran Eriksson, who managed in 2002 and 2006, and Fabio Capello, who oversaw the 2010 campaign.

Tuchel also shares a notable target with Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti. Either coach could join Marcelo Lippi and Vicente del Bosque by winning both the Champions League and the World Cup. Kane believes Tuchel has the resources to challenge, praising the depth and quality across England’s squad and bench.

"I think our squad is as good as we've ever had," he said. "I think when you look at the starting XI, you look at the players coming off the bench, we're going into the tournament as one of the favourites. We've been building together as a team over the past few camps under Thomas. I think we've set the standard, and now we look forward to continuing this into the World Cup next month."

Harry Kane and England World Cup scoring record

Kane is also chasing history at this World Cup. The captain needs three goals to overtake Gary Lineker’s tally of 10 and become England’s all-time top scorer at World Cups. Kane scored six times at Russia 2018 and added two more at Qatar 2022, leaving the record within reach.

"Gary was an incredible striker for England, and to achieve 10 World Cup goals is impressive," Kane added. "Personal milestones are, of course, a motivator. As a striker, I always want to score every time I step on to the pitch, and those milestones are always nice things to achieve. But the ultimate motivation is playing with the boys and winning matches. If I score those goals to pass Gary's record, it means I'm helping the team win, and that's the perfect scenario."

Kane also highlighted the emotional pull of the tournament for players and supporters. "There's always something special about playing at the World Cup. There's a special feeling inside, especially when you win. We know how much a World Cup win would mean, not just to us, but to the fans and the country itself. That's what drives us on the pitch, and hopefully we can bring it home for the fans."

As England complete preparations with friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica, Kane’s pursuit of Lineker’s record and Tuchel’s bid to join an elite group of World Cup-winning club coaches set clear storylines. The combination of strong data forecasts and growing squad belief places England under close global attention this summer.