England's stars will want to avoid Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo until World Cup final as 'favourable draw' claim is made by ex-Three Lions defender ahead of 2026 showpiece

England, having made light work of qualification, will be among the favourites to capture a global crown next summer. With Harry Kane leading the line as captain, Jude Bellingham looking to dominate the midfield and Jordan Pickford picking up a useful habit of keeping clean sheets, the Three Lions are seemingly ready to roar.

That has, however, been the case on a number of occasions in the past. Too many toothless displays have been delivered, even when reaching the finals of back-to-back European Championships. Favourable draws have been enjoyed at times, but England have come unstuck when facing fellow heavyweight outfits.

Italy, France and Spain have dashed collective dreams at the last three major international tournaments. With that in mind, Thomas Tuchel will be hoping to steer clear of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal et al in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It is often said, though, that you need to beat the best in order to become the best. With that in mind, will the Three Lions be looking forward to potential meetings with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Argentina and Portugal?

When that question was put to former Arsenal and England full-back Winterburn, he - speaking in association with BetBrain - told GOAL: “Sometimes in a tournament you can get a nice passage. I think we have seen that with England at times. You get a nice passage through, depending on how the draw falls for you. Then you don’t potentially get the top teams until the semi-finals, final. You would expect to play the top teams at some point.

“Being a player, yes, you want to play against the best but maybe you want to leave that until the final with the anticipation because anything can happen. As a player, if you get what is called a favourable draw to get through to the quarters, semi-final and final of a World Cup, I don’t think you are going to be hearing any England players or any of the fans moaning that the opposition is not good enough. It’s on the day. You have just got to be ready.”

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Portuguese superstar Ronaldo has stated that the 2026 World Cup will be his last, but Argentine GOAT Messi is yet to confirm that he will form part of the Albiceleste’s title defence. He is now plying his trade in MLS with Inter Miami and will not, due to the sporting calendar in America, have as much competitive action under his belt by June 2026 as many of his rivals.

Messi said when asked if another World Cup outing is exciting: “Yes, obviously it is. It's a special World Cup. It's special to play with the national team, especially in major official competitions, and even more so considering what a World Cup means, especially after having won it.

“But as I was saying, I don't want to be a burden, so to speak. I want to feel physically fit, to be sure I can help and contribute to the team. Our season is different from the European one. We'll have a pre-season in between, with few matches leading up to the World Cup, and we'll see how things go day by day to see if I really feel physically fit enough to be where I'd like to be and be able to participate. But obviously I'm aware that it's a World Cup, and it's special, and that the World Cup is the biggest competition there is. So, I'm excited, but I'm taking it one day at a time.”

Messi, Ronaldo, Kane and Co will discover their group-stage opponents when the 2026 World Cup draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC on Friday.