England

The Three Lions carry the weight of inventing the modern game, playing in front of some of the most passionate — and demanding — supporters in world football. Backed by the financial might and talent pipeline of the Premier League, England enters every tournament under intense scrutiny and even higher expectations. Decades of near-misses have only sharpened the hunger for a second major trophy.

The Football Association, founded in 1863, is the oldest governing body in the sport. England's lone World Cup title came on home soil in 1966, when Geoff Hurst's hat-trick sealed a 4-2 extra-time win over West Germany at Wembley. Since then, the team has produced strong runs — including the 1990 and 2018 World Cup semifinals and back-to-back Euro finals in 2020 and 2024 — without adding another major trophy.