Foden, Saka, Rice: Predicting England's XI at Euro 2028

England could be one of the nations to host the 2028 European Championships.

According to the BBC, the football associations of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland have submitted a joint expression of interest in staging the next Euros yet to have been assigned a host.

On the back of a cross-continent format for Euro 2020, the UK and Ireland could welcome Europe to its shores in 2028 if they’re chosen to inherit the baton from Germany, who will step up to the plate in two years.

There is still some way to go before UEFA give the bid a green light with Turkey, as well as a controversial bid from Russia, also touted in the race to stage the 18th European Championships.

However, if the UK and Ireland were chosen to be the epicentre of continental action in 2028, then it would mark a fantastic opportunity for England to ensure that football comes home in more ways than one.

Besides, it would be just the third time in history after Euro ’96 and the 1966 World Cup that England will have been chosen as hosts, albeit along with Ireland and its British neighbours this time around.

So, in the interest of getting unashamedly ahead of ourselves and imagining the partisan beer gardens of 2028, we wanted to picture how England might actually line up for a potential home tournament.

After all, if the England of six years’ time were to follow in the footsteps of the 1966 team in winning a major trophy on home soil, then they would become household names for the rest of their lives.

As such, we have taken the step of predicting what England’s starting XI will be for Euro 2028 by assessing how we think the current and upcoming batch of Three Lions stars will perform when the time comes.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, we’re well