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Ian Wright revealed that Marcus Rashford would make his cut for England’s starting XI for the 2026 World Cup ahead of Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo.
England will kick off their World Cup campaign under Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel on 17th June with their Group L opener against Croatia in Texas.
Marcus Rashford, who is on loan at Barcelona during the 2025-26 campaign, is widely tipped to secure a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup England squad.
Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo could be in contention for the Three Lions’ squad after Tuchel called up the two Manchester United players during the March break.
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Photo by Alex Davidson – The FA/The FA via Getty Images Ian Wright backs Man Utd star Marcus Rashford to feature in England’s World Cup opener against Croatia
Marcus Rashford was able to climb back into the England national team in 2025 under Thomas Tuchel during his loan spell with Premier League side Aston Villa.
The 28-year-old on-loan Manchester United forward missed Euro 2024 under former Three Lions boss Sir Gareth Southgate due to his poor form under Erik ten Hag.
Speaking on ITV Sport’s TikTok page, Ian Wright was asked to predict the England starting XI that will face 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia this summer.
The 62-year-old Arsenal named his England XI and included Barcelona star Rashford among his picks, but Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo did not make the final cut.
“I’ll go [Jordan] Pickford; [Reece] James, [Ezri] Konsa [and] [Marc] Guehi,” Wright said.
“[Matt] O’Riley, [Harvey] Elliott, [Declan] Rice, [Jude] Bellingham, [Bukayo] Saka, [Harry] Kane [and] Rashford.”
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Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images The stage is set for Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo to compete for an England World Cup squad place along with Marcus Rashford
Maguire does face an uphill battle with playing for England as a starter after Tuchel’s recent – and harsh – criticism about the former Man Utd defender’s role under him.
However, Mainoo’s resurgence in form at Old Trafford has put him in a position to challenge for a place in the England midfield for this summer’s World Cup.
Rashford, on the other hand, has been viewed as the likely Man Utd player to start for England at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the match against Croatia.
England are in Group L alongside Croatia, Panama and Ghana for the 2026 World Cup and the Three Lions have one international friendly left ahead of the tournament.
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