Maguire & Henderson out, Elliott & Tomori in: How will England line up at the 2026 World Cup?

This might seem harsh on Jordan Pickford, who has never let England down and will only be 32 when the next World Cup comes around, but we're erring on the side of youth here in picking Ramsdale.

The Arsenal goalkeeper is four years younger than Pickford and looks set to be the starter for a club who are playing Champions League football over the coming years.

The only other candidate right now looks to be Dean Henderson, who is currently 25 and was part of the squad as recently as September.

Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier have both likely played their last World Cup matches at the age of 32, and so the battle to be England's right-back will soon start to focus on James and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

James is 14 months younger than the Liverpool man and a more rounded full-back so we've gone for him, even if few players can produce what Alexander-Arnold can with his right foot at times.

There are, though, some younger players who could force their way into the conversation before 2026, including Southampton's Tino Livramento (20), Manchester City's Rico Lewis (18) and Brooke Norton-Cuffy (18) of Arsenal, who was part of England's European champion Under-19s team earlier in 2022.

Stones has already been a starter at two World Cups, and we're backing him to graduate to the role of seasoned veteran by the time the 2026 edition begins.

The Man City defender will turn 32 shortly before the tournament kicks-off, and his big-match experience and comfort in possession should mean he remains a key member of the team.

The most obvious alternative for Stones would be Ben White, who is three years younger than the City man and shares a similar skillset, even if he is currently playing predominantly at right-back for Arsenal.

We want to throw out the names of a couple of 17-year-olds who could emerge over the next few years, too: Ashley Phillips has been linked with a host of top Premier League clubs after breaking into the Blackburn Rovers first team, while Josh Feeney trains with the Aston Villa senior squad and has regularly captained England at youth level.

It seems an age ago now, but Tomori was the name on everyone's lips when England named their squad for Qatar, with many questioning why the AC Milan man wasn't picked.

All things being equal, he should now start to force his way into the reckoning more often, and he will be in the prime of his career at 27 when the next World Cup begins.

Tomori's fellow Chelsea academy graduate Marc Guehi (22) is also expected to earn further call-ups if he continues impressing for Crystal Palace, while there are high hopes at Stamford Bridge for Levi Colwill (19), even if his loan spell at Brighton is yet to yield many returns.

Chilwell was so unfortunate to miss out on the World Cup due to an injury suffered just before the tournament, but he is young enough to go again in three-and-a-half years.

Eighteen months younger than Luke Shaw, we believe the Chelsea man will have beaten out the Manchester United full-back by the time England get to the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Younger alternatives are, meanwhile, thin on the ground. Tyrick Mitchell (23) was called-up earlier this season while Ryan Sessegnon (22) was an outside bet to make the squad for Qatar, but neither have shown enough to suggest they will compete with Chilwell and Shaw.

One name to watch might be Chelsea's versatile teenager Lewis Hall (18), who stepped into Chilwell's shoes at Stamford Bridge before the mid-season break and put in a couple of eye-catching performances.

Still only 23, Rice projects to be one of the best holding midfielders in world football by the time we get to 2026, and that's if he isn't in that group already.

It feels unlikely that he will still be at West Ham by that point, and whichever club eventually signs him are going to have an elite talent on their hands.

Unlikely to have Jordan Henderson or Kalvin Phillips in the squad to back him up, England will hope at least one of Oliver Skipp (Tottenham, 22), Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa, 19) or Charlie Patino (Arsenal, 19) develops into a player of international calibre.

The man around whom England will hope to build their team for at least the next decade, Bellingham's breakout as an international footballer was thrilling to watch in Qatar.

Already showing leadership capabilities that suggest he could even be pushing to become England captain around the 2026 World Cup, it's scary to think that he will only be 22 when the tournament gets going.

If anyone is to push Bellingham at international level, then it might be fellow 19-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka, who is yet to properly break into the Chelsea first team but was the star man as England Under-19s won the European Championship over the summer.

Given Mason Mount will still only be 27 by the time of the next World Cup, it does seem harsh to push the Chelsea man out of the England line up, but Elliott's ceiling is that high that we think he will have usurped Mount in 2026.

The Liverpool starlet will be the same age as Mount now (23) for the next global tournament, and if he continues on his current trajectory, there is no reason why Elliott won't be a regular for the Three Lions.

Others who could be in contention for at least a place in the squad in 2026 include both James Maddison (25) and Conor Gallagher (22), while Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey (21) can't be discounted either.

Few countries can claim to be as stacked when it comes to forward options as England, and that is unlikely to change over the next three-and-a-half years.

There is a chance that Saka will be starting at his fourth major tournament before his 25th birthday in 2026, with the Arsenal man still not even close to hitting what is likely to be his best level.

Marcus Rashford will, meanwhile, still be under 30, while Jadon Sancho (22) will hope to follow his Manchester United teammate and force his way back into the reckoning over the next few years too.

Younger alternatives could be Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe (22), Everton's Anthony Gordon (21), Man City's Cole Palmer (20) and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (18) of Borussia Dortmund, while Noni Madueke (20) cannot be discounted either as long as injuries allow him to play more regularly for PSV.

Raheem Sterling, too, will be hopeful of forcing his way into contention again, with the Chelsea forward set to be 30 when the squad is named.

Things are slightly clearer on the left of the attack, where Foden will be 26 and likely held up alongside Bellingham as the key players in the Three Lions line up.

Jack Grealish is the only member of the current squad who could hope to challenge him, but the Man City star will be 30 by the time the next World Cup gets going.

Perhaps a name to watch will be that of Samuel Iling-Junior, who has caught the eye after debuting for Juventus this season, and will be 22 in the summer of 2026.

Perhaps the most pressing issue for England before the next World Cup is to find a rightful heir to Kane, who will, in fairness, only be 32 next time the global tournament rolls around, but who continues to deal with injuries and cannot be relied upon forever.

Tammy Abraham and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (25) perhaps have the best age profile to make a run, but neither is entering their prime years in great form.

The hope might be, then, that at least one of either Liam Delap (Man City, 19) or Dane Scarlett (Tottenham, 18) kicks on over the next few years having broken a number of records in their young careers to date.