England Squad Numbers For World Cup Suggest This Could Be Gareth Southgate's Favored XI
England's squad numbers for the 2022 World Cup were revealed by manager Gareth Southgate on Monday.
Captain Harry Kane was unsurprisingly given the no.9 jersey to match his status as the team's lead frontman.
Meanwhile, Jordan Pickford was confirmed as no.1, meaning he will likely be Southgate's first-choice goalkeeper in Qatar, ahead of Nick Pope (no.13) and Aaron Ramsdale (no.23).
Traditionally, a manager reserves the numbers one to 11 for the players they expect to feature in their strongest starting XI.
If Southgate has stayed true to that method then Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Jack Grealish, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford are also likely to start.
Southgate switched between a 3-4-3 formation and a 4-2-3-1 system at Euro 2020.
He has the players to comfortably operate in either shape in Qatar, although his first XI based on squad numbers would better suit a 4-2-3-1.
England's first XI for the 2022 FIFA World Cup based on their squad numbers
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1. Jordan Pickford | 14. Kalvin Phillips |
2. Kyle Walker | 15. Eric Dier |
3. Luke Shaw | 16. Conor Coady |
4. Declan Rice | 17. Bukayo Saka |
5. John Stones | 18. Trent Alexander-Arnold |
6. Harry Maguire | 19. Mason Mount |
7. Jack Grealish | 20. Phil Foden |
8. Jordan Henderson | 21. Ben White |
9. Harry Kane | 22. Jude Bellingham |
10. Raheem Sterling | 23. Aaron Ramsdale |
11. Marcus Rashford | 24. Callum Wilson |
12. Kieran Trippier | 25. James Maddison |
13. Nick Pope | 26. Conor Gallagher |
