England Player Ratings: Grading Every Player at the 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

The World Cup has not come home.

England’s World Cup ended in chaotic fashion. A 10-goal thriller, a 6-4 win versus France, but it did little to relieve any of the disappointment felt in those final five minutes against Argentina.

A semi-final and a third-place finish would usually be seen as a good tournament for England, but with how that game played out and Argentina’s performance in the final, you can’t help but feel let down.

Questions of what if will linger, as this was England’s best chance at glory in years.

Here are our ratings for every England player and Thomas Tuchel.

Ratings (Out of 10)

The Goalkeepers

Jordan Pickford, 6.5

This tournament summed up the Everton goalkeeper. Some outstanding saves mixed with some questionable moments.

An inspired performance against Mexico took England through the hardest conditions. Against Argentina, he stood up to most of the onslaught but then got Enzo Fernández’s shot completely wrong.

Norway’s cross/shot goal and England’s scare versus DR Congo with their near-post finish were not his finest moments either. Future in doubt.

Dean Henderson, 2

Played one match. Conceded 4 goals. Need I say more?

The DefendERS

Marc Guehi, 8

The best out of the centre-backs. During the knockout stages, Tuchel’s tactics to defend so deep and for long periods put severe pressure on the defence. Mexico and Norway, Guehi stood up to every cross and every shot coming his way.

A great overall tournament for the Manchester City defender.

Ezri Konsa, 7

Started off his tournament with a ‘got away with one’ moment following his mistimed tackle against Ghana, which should have been a penalty.

He bounced back from this with some solid performances. A few times, he was caught out, but a good tournament for the Aston Villa centre-back.

John Stones, 6

Made some vital headers against Mexico and Norway and played a big role in hanging on in those games.

Had the nation biting their nails a couple of times in the Norway game but did what was needed when it mattered. Didn’t look behind him for Argentina’s winner in the semi-final.

Dan Burn, 6

The Mexico match was Dan Burn at his best. What a header that was. You know which one.

Thomas Tuchel‘s negative tactics ultimately threw the defence under the bus against Argentina, and Dan Burn‘s introduction summed the game up.

Jarell Quansah, 5

A red card against Mexico almost cost England a place in the quarter-finals, but it didn’t.

Before that moment, however, Quansah was having a decent game out of position. Has potential to bounce back in the future.

Djed Spence, 8

Incredible World Cup for the Tottenham full-back. Played both on the right and the left. Spence was everything good about England throughout the tournament.

His overlapping runs and dribbles caused defences problems, whilst his efforts going back set the example. The tackle vs Argentina was perfect. Proved everyone wrong.

Reece James, 6

Injuries are once again holding back Reece James. Which is a shame because when he did play, you could notice the quality difference. Hopefully, in the next tournament he’ll have proper competition.

Nico O’Reilly, 7.5

Going from strength to strength, O’Reilly is the future of England.

A midfielder turned full-back who plays at an incredible level. Thrown on v Argentina, which was the wrong move, but overall, a decent tournament

Midfielders

Declan Rice, 5

Exhausted. He showed moments of quality, but ultimately his legs were gone, and it made a huge difference in England’s fortunes.

Elliot Anderson, 8.5

The unsung hero. Elliott Anderson is the prime example of a player who does amazingly well without people noticing.

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I notice.

Whilst Rice looked leggy, it was Anderson who held the midfield together, on his own at times. A big move to Manchester City had people asking questions, but if he continues in this vein of form, questions will be fewer by the end of the season.

Jude Bellingham, 9.5

A good performance against Argentina is all that is stopping him from getting a 10.

What a player!

An inspiration both on and off the field, Jude Bellingham was the superstar England needed. Some doubted Bellingham before the tournament.

The best thing you can do is EXACTLY what Jude did. Get on the pitch and show up. Bellingham showed up. He deserved more.

Eberechi Eze, 5

Showed glimpses of how good he is on the ball but never really impacted games the way he can. A bit like his season with Arsenal. Expected better.

Morgan Rogers, 6

Did make an impact in the very few minutes he got. Had a great game against Panama and set up the opening goal against Argentina.

I do expect more, though, in future matches.

Forwards

Harry Kane, 8.5

I can see why some would give him a higher rating, as he has been a match-winner. However, against Argentina, he was non-existent.

There is still no better player to rely on for a goal, and his goal v DR Congo was just sensational. Is there another World Cup in him? Hopefully.

Anthony Gordon, 7.5

A mixed bag for Gordon. When he was good, he was very good, but when he was bad, he was very bad. He shouldn’t have come off against Norway, as he had both their right-backs panicking.

A big move to Barcelona is make-or-break for him.

Noni Madueke, 4

His selection was baffling after a poor season for the champions of England. His performances just backed up why people didn’t understand his selection. Many times a player went past to have no end product.

If only Saka was fit.

Bukayo Saka, 6

Read the last sentence. If Saka was fit and played more minutes, England would’ve made the World Cup final.

His performance and hat-trick against France in the third-place playoff added to fans’ frustration with Thomas Tuchel. Why he didn’t get any minutes against Argentina is beyond me.

Marcus Rashford, 5.5

Expected more. Played well against Croatia in the opening game but was very disappointing after that.

Lost his starting place to Anthony Gordon. Needs to get minutes in the next 2 seasons and cement his place in the England team.

Manager

Thomas Tuchel, 6

Throughout the beginning of the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel was rightly praised for his in-game management, in which his substitutions and team talks were spot on.

Then came the Norway and Argentina games, and Tuchel’s fear of losing took over his desire to win.

This ultimately cost England.

You could understand the need to defend against Mexico in those conditions with ten men. The Norway match was then a warning not to rely on deep defending again.

He didn’t learn, and he paid the price. He got the semi-final completely wrong. Argentina were there to be beaten, and Tuchel cowardly retreated.