England’s record at World Cups over the past two decades has been built on painful exits.
The Three Lions have not lifted the trophy since 1966, and five consecutive campaigns have each brought their own disappointment. Heading into the 2026 tournament, Thomas Tuchel’s side have the opportunity to change that.
England’s participation in this summer’s competition has already attracted a lot of attention, with Football World Cup betting reflecting great confidence in Tuchel’s team ahead of the group stage opener against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.
First, let’s take a look back at how the last five campaigns ended.
2022: France, quarter-final
England’s last World Cup exit came in the quarter-finals in Qatar, where they faced defending champions France at Al Khor. Olivier Giroud put France ahead from a Kylian Mbappe cross before Kane equalized from the penalty spot, his 53rd international goal putting him level with Wayne Rooney’s English record. France restored their lead with Giroud’s second headed goal of the evening, and England pushed hard to find a way back.
As time expired, a second penalty gave Kane the opportunity to level the scores and force overtime. Unusually, he hit it over the bar, sending England home. It was a brutal end to a campaign that had suggested this group of players were capable of going all the way, and Kane’s failure overshadowed what had otherwise been one of England’s most controlled and convincing World Cup performances in years.
2018: Croatia, semi-final
This remains England’s deepest World Cup run since 1990, and the exit still stings. Kieran Trippier’s free-kick gave England the lead inside five minutes in Moscow, and for large periods of the match Gareth Southgate’s side looked capable of reaching the final.
However, Ivan Perisic equalized in the second half and Mario Mandzukic put Croatia ahead in the 109th minute of extra time. England were unable to respond and were dismissed in one of the most heartbreaking outings in years. England failed to even reach the podium in this tournament, as they were subsequently beaten by Belgium in the play-offs to finish fourth. For anyone wanting to review the head-to-head results ahead of this summer’s group stage opener, the England v Croatia oddsreflect how much weight this fixture carries.
2014: exit from group stage
The World Cup in Brazil marked England’s worst World Cup exit for 56 years. Roy Hodgson’s side were placed in a tough group alongside Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica, and lost their opening two matches to fall out of the group stage for the first time since 1958.
Mario Balotelli led Italy to a 2-1 victory in Manaus, then Luis Suarez scored twice and Uruguay won 2-1 in Sao Paulo. A goalless draw against Costa Rica in the final group match was irrelevant. England left Brazil with two defeats, a draw and a serious re-examination of the team’s international capabilities.
2010: Germany, round of 16
England’s exit in 2010 remains one of the most controversial moments in Three Lions history. Germany beat England 4-1 in Bloemfontein, although the score doesn’t tell the whole story of how the match played out. Frank Lampard’s shot clearly crossed the line shortly before half-time, with England trailing 2-1 at the time the goal was disallowed.
Had that been the case, the match would have been level before the break, but Germany took the lead and won in the second half with two more goals. Fabio Capello’s side were unconvincing throughout the group stage, and the defeat showed how the team failed to live up to the expectations placed on them ahead of the trip to South Africa.
2006: Portugal, quarter-final
The 2006 quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen produced 120 scoreless minutes before another penalty shootout ended England’s involvement. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side lost on penalties 3-1 after David Beckham was injured in the first half.
Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher all failed from the spot, and England went home without a shot on target in 90 minutes against Portugal. It was a painfully familiar ending to another tournament that promised more than it delivered.
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