England’s best XI – based entirely objectively, statistically on 2025-26 form | OneFootball

England‘s first match of the 2026 World Cup is fast approaching, and we have a pretty good idea of who will make Thomas Tuchel’s favoured XI. But does that match up to who performed best in 2025-26 statistically speaking.

Data firm WhoScored claim their ratings “are considered to be the most accurate, respected and well-known performance indicators in the world of football” – which makes them the perfect arbiter for which players have performed best over the past 12 months.

“The ratings are based on a unique, comprehensive statistical algorithm, calculated live during the game,” they explain.

“There are over 200 raw statistics included in the calculation of a player’’s/team’’s rating, weighted according to their influence within the game.

“Every event of importance is taken into account, with a positive or negative effect on ratings weighted in relation to its area on the pitch and its outcome.”

Using said ratings, here is the best-rated England XI from across the 2025-26 campaign (league only):

GK: Nick Pope (6.69)

What are you doing here?

Manchester City’s James Trafford actually has the highest average rating (6.79) of any English goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. He did play a starring role in Pep Guardiola bowing out with the two domestic cups, but we couldn’t include him from just four league outings.

It’s actually Pope, who didn’t even make the squad, who boasts the best underlying statistics of keepers to play more than 20 games. Jordan Pickford (6.53) only has the third highest average of English ‘keepers over the past year, behind Pope and Dean Henderson.

This is solid evidence for always taking stats with a pinch of salt, and why national team coaches need to consider more than just form. Try arguing that Pope should be starting for England this summer, and you’ll (rightly) get laughed out of the pub.

RB: Reece James (6.93)

Back to reality.

James played a key role in the finest hour of Thomas Tuchel’s managerial career – Chelsea’s against-the-odds 2021 Champions League victory – and they’re looking to repeat the trick on the international stage.

He’s actually one of the few players in this XI who dipped below a 7.00 average rating this season, but he’s still been the top-performing English right-back. And that in the context of a dysfunctional basket case of a Chelsea team.

CB: James Tarkowski (7.12)

Another curveball.

It makes some degree of sense that Tarkowski ranks highly when it comes to the underlying data, given he’s a proper old-school centre-back that revels in areas that’ll gain points in an algorithm – winning aerial duels, making tackles, clearances and blocks.

The 33-year-old’s last England cap came way back in 2018 and he hasn’t really entered the conversation to make this summer’s squad. That’s only natural, given that Tuchel wants England playing in more of a front-foot style than David Moyes’ Everton.

Still, Tarky would’ve been a hell of an asset for a relative minnow that uses a backs-to-the-wall low block. Has Steve Clarke not checked if he’s got any Scottish roots?

Interesting, rather than Harry Maguire (6.97) or John Stones (6.20), it’s lesser-known Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell (7.09) that comes closest to making this backline.

The Leeds United academy graduate has been linked with a move back to England this summer, with Brighton said to be among the clubs chasing his signature. One for the next qualification cycle, perhaps.

CB: Marc Guehi (7.24 & 7.04)

Pope and Tarkowski? What is this? Did we slip into a coma and miss Sean Dyche being appointed England manager? Fear not – things get considerably more normal from here on out (for the most part).

Guehi received an average 7.04 in the first half of the season at Crystal Palace before a 7.24 at Man City.

Either way he’s going straight into the heart of this backline, with Tuchel’s plans matching up with the data. That’s reassuring, right?

LB: Nico O’Reilly (7.01)

An absolute revelation in Man City’s title challenge.

We question whether the City academy graduate’s long-term future might lie in midfield following the departure of Pep Guardiola, but he’s proven himself more than adept as a left-back for now.

DM: Elliot Anderson (7.20)

The next £100million Englishman?

Nottingham Forest struggled this season, but Anderson has put himself in the shop window as one of the finest midfielders in the country, a near-nailed-on starter for the base of Thomas Tuchel’s midfield.

His stats when it comes to his off-the-ball workrate – ball recoveries, possession won, distance covered, winning duels – are absolutely off the charts. England have finally found their replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but you suspect Anderson’s club career future is a whole lot brighter.

Interestingly enough, Everton’s James Garner is only marginally behind Anderson with an average rating of 7.17. A bit unlucky miss out on a place as a back-up, perhaps.

Jordan Henderson’s experience and leadership were clearly weighted more heavily in Tuchel’s decision than his 2025-26 form for Brentford (average rating: 6:43).

CM: Declan Rice (7.26)

The second highest-rated English player across Europe’s five major leagues, as well as the top-rated player from Arsenal’s title-winning squad.

A no-brainer. One of those where the eye test matches the data.

FWR: Bukayo Saka (7.25)

Distil his game down to the numbers (seven goals and five assists) and Saka’s contribution to Arsenal’s long-awaited title triumph looks pretty ordinary.

That’s less than his England team-mate Marcus Rashford managed in Barcelona’s La Liga title victory on both counts, and that with considerably more minutes and starts.

Fortunately, WhoScored’s match rating algorithm is considerably more sophisticated than your average 14-year-old on Twitter and goes far beyond just output. We can all tot up goals and assists.

It’s for that reason that Saka comfortably makes this XI. His rating of 7.25 puts him ahead of Jarrod Bowen (7.04) and is comfortably ahead of Rashford (6.87) on the other flank.

CAM: Jude Bellingham (7.24)

It wasn’t so long ago that Bellingham would’ve been among the first names on any England teamsheet. He went into Euro 2024 fresh from a leading role in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League double.

His stock’s since taken a bit of a hit, amid back-to-back trophyless campaigns in the Spanish capital, having awkwardly been labelled “a bit repulsive” by Tuchel – comments that the England manager since apologised for and rowed back on.

The rise of Morgan Rogers, not to mention left-behind stars like Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, has prompted a conversation we did not expect to be having two years ago.

Nevertheless, while Bellingham’s starting spot has come under threat, he – statistically speaking, at least – is the best-performing player for that fiercely contested No.10 role. His 7.24 average in La Liga betters Rogers (6.85), Gibbs-White (6.85), Palmer (6.72) and Foden (7.01) this season.

FWL: Marcus Tavernier (6.93)

You could also make a case for sticking Phil Foden in this slot, given his surprisingly high average rating (7.01) in what’s been, by all accounts, a poor season. But the majority of his appearances this season have been central. He’s barely featured on the left.

Sneaking in just ahead of his fellow Marcus (6.87) is the perenially underrated Bournemouth man. It’s a testament to England’s strength in depth that at no point has Tavernier seriously been touted for a call-up.

Dozens of teams at this summer’s World Cup would’ve loved a player of his quality after the season he’s just had for Andoni Iraola’s Cherries.

Tavernier is so underrated he didn’t even make our “missed out” XI.

ST: Harry Kane (8.14)

Not only is Kane by some distance the highest-rated England player, but he’s the second highest-rated player across Europe’s top five leagues.

Only Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (8.23) had a higher average WhoScored rating across the 2025-26 campaign.

England boast quite possibly the very best player in world football going into this summer’s tournament. When was the last time you could say that?