by For England hopefuls, all roads lead to Gelsenkirchen on June 16 where Gareth Southgate’s side play their opening match of the 2024 European Championship.
The big question between now and then is, who will go to Germany?
Southgate is able to select a 23-man squad, meaning they will miss out on plenty of deserving candidates.
Euro 2024 forecaster
Choose your winner
Play here
When will the England squad for Euro 2024 be named?
That’s a lot to say.
The deadline for submitting the final Euro 2024 squads is June 7, as teams must submit their 23-man roster at least seven days before the tournament’s opening match.
How big will the squad be?
Squad sizes for Euro 2024 will be reduced back to 23 after being increased to 26 for Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022 due to the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
What is the latest England news?
England have two pre-Euro 2024 games coming up in the international window, against Brazil (Saturday, March 23) and Belgium (Tuesday, March 26).
Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo was called up to the England squad for these two friends. The 18-year-old has moved into Southgate’s senior squad after being initially named in the Under-21s.
Mainoo, a former Under-17 and Under-19 international, has hit the ground running at Old Trafford this season, racking up 20 appearances so far.
Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon also received their first England call-ups but Kalvin Phillips has no place in Southgate’s final squad before opting for Euro 2024.
Joe Gomez, who won the last of his 11 senior caps in October 2020, is back from the international desert for the Wembley friendlies in March.
Ivan Toney is back involved at the first opportunity after serving an eight-month ban for Football Association betting, but Raheem Sterling is conspicuously absent again.
England squad to face Brazil and Belgium
Goalkeeper: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defendants: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (City of Manchester)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forward: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney ( Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
What are the main issues facing Southgate?
The extensive list of absentees in England’s latest squad reflects the injury crisis Southgate currently faces.
Having been spoiled for choice in goal, the squad now looks vulnerable in this position and Southgate will be hoping this is resolved by the summer.
The England boss will be looking for Gomez, in particular, to impress the upcoming friends due to his versatility.
Arsenal defender Ben White’s request not to be selected by England at the moment has not helped Southgate’s defensive dilemmas.
The 26-year-old has starred for the Premier League leaders this season but has not featured for the national team since the 2022 World Cup.
White returned early from Qatar for what the Football Association called “personal reasons” and reports later emerged of allegations made with England assistant Steve Holland.
Southgate denied there was such a break-up and hoped to include the defender in his squad for the Brazil and Belgium games. The manager revealed that White would be in the 25-man squad for the Friends, explaining: “Obviously I can’t sit here and say he doesn’t deserve to be in.
“John McDermott and I had a call from Edu (Arsenal’s director of sport) last week (and he said) Ben didn’t want to be considered for England squads at this time.
“That’s a shame for me. He’s a player we took to the Euros, a player we took to the World Cup and I spoke to him after Category because I wanted to pick him.
“He is not available to us and there is no issue between us at all and I should also say that there is no problem with (coach) Steve Holland because that has been mentioned in articles and I don’t like that.
“I want to open that door wide. He would be in this squad but he is not available to us and I have to focus on who can help us.”
When is the England friendly coming up?
-
March 23: vs Brazil, Wembley, 7pm (GMT)
-
March 26: vs Belgium, Wembley, 7.45pm (GMT)
How can I watch English friends on TV?
Both fixtures will be broadcast live on Channel 4 and can be streamed on the Channel 4 app.
Who is in England’s Euro 2024 group?
England are in group C and will face Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia.
When are England’s Euro 2024 group games?
-
June 16: vs Serbia, Gelsenkirchen, 8pm (BST)
-
June 20: vs Denmark, Frankfurt, 5pm (BST)
-
June 25: vs Slovenia, Cologne, 8pm (BST)
What are England’s chances of winning Euro 2024?
Look at the Euro 2024 betting offers and free bets
