"They play with fear" - Fabio Capello gives his take on England's chances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Fabio Capello has expressed his skepticism about England’s prospects of winning the FIFA World Cup, citing a persistent issue of playing with fear. He believes this fear has been a long-standing problem for the team during each tournament.

In an interview with the BBC, Capello emphasized the importance of confidence for the English players, a responsibility he believes falls on Thomas Tuchel this summer. He stated:

“Always the same, England arrive at the World Cup tired and they play with fear. I remember the game against Italy and then after 10, 15 minutes they stopped playing. Long balls and they played with fear. This is the problem for England – it’s tiring and fear. The manager, he has to cancel it.” (via Mirror)

Uli Hoeneß, a former star of Germany, has also expressed doubts about England’s chances at the World Cup this summer. He noted that Germany’s chances hinge on players like Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Nick Woltemade performing well. He commented:

“I can’t imagine England becoming world champions right now. If players like Musiala, Wirtz, and Woltemade are in top form for the World Cup, we can go very, very far.” (via @iMiaSanMia)

England reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where they were defeated by France.

England are underdogs at FIFA World Cup, says Thomas Tuchel

England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, has stated that his team will enter the World Cup as underdogs this summer. He believes that countries with multiple World Cup victories are the immediate favorites. Tuchel explained:

“We will arrive as underdogs in the World Cup because we haven’t won it for decades, and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we have no chance. We try to collect the guys who in the end have the glue and cohesion to be the best team, because we need to arrive [at the World Cup] with the best team.” (via BBC)

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, England will compete against Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. The team will be without Jack Grealish, and Jarrad Branthwaite, who has recently sustained an injury, is now uncertain for the tournament.