Five reasons for England to be cheerful despite World Cup exit

ByKatharine Sharpe

BBC Sport senior journalist

There is no sugar-coating a semi-final loss to footballing rivals in a World Cup. It hurts.

Compound that with so many 'nearlies' in recent tournaments - back-to-back European final losses in 2021 and 2024, and another World Cup semi-final exit in 2018.

Then if you add the manner in which England lost their grasp on a place in this final, it might seem difficult to find many reasons for positivity.

But it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom - we've found some reasons to be optimistic about England's footballing future.

To have a squad containing not one but two Golden Boot contenders is no mean feat in a World Cup.

It's perhaps not surprising that Harry Kane - who came in to the 2026 World Cup after averaging a goal every 66 minutes for Bayern Munich this season - quickly put himself in contention to be the competition's top scorer. He picked up two goals in the opening game against Croatia, followed by four more as England progressed through the tournament.

Jude Bellingham was possibly a less likely candidate, having had a relatively quiet season at Real Madrid compared to his previous two after recovering from a shoulder operation.

However, Bellingham finds himself equal with Kane's tally of six goals ahead of the third-place play-off, during which either player could clinch the tournament's Golden Boot should they better or equal current joint-top leaders Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi's total of eight.

Both players came to England's rescue when it was needed most - Kane's brace against DR Congo preventing a humiliating round of 32 exit, and Bellingham's double against Norway sealing their place in the semi-finals.

While Kane has not committed to featuring at the 2030 World Cup, we should get at least one more outing for the goalscoring pair together at the 2028 Euros.

While the aforementioned exits late in the World Cup and Euros may be painful to remember, they are still a sign of immense progress for England's tournament progression.

Prior to the 2018 World Cup semi-final, England had not gone further than the tournament's quarter-finals since Italy 1990.

And until their 2020 Euros final loss to Italy, they had only ever reached as far as the quarter-finals since their 1996 semi-final loss to Germany.

The lack of silverware is still apparent - but to reach either a semi-final or final in four of the last five major tournaments is a huge upturn in form.

Away from the football itself, one of the major stories out of the 2026 World Cup has been the conditions that players - and fans - have faced during matches.

It wasn't just the heat - humidity, lightning, and rain have all impacted games.

While England did benefit from some fixtures being played in air-conditioned stadiums with roofs, such as in Atlanta against DR Congo, other conditions were less forgiving. Those included the stifling humidity and soaring temperatures in Miami for their quarter-final against Norway.

The much-discussed altitude of Mexico's Azteca stadium for England's round of 16 match against the co-host nation was perceived to be a major hurdle for the squad to overcome. That was before you took into account Mexico's fearsome home record and notoriously raucous atmosphere at the ground.

Despite this, England adapted well and never seemed to be struggling due to the external factors imposed on them during games - or at least, managed to struggle less than their opponents.

While pre-tournament training camps to adjust to the conditions will have helped with preparation, it is testament to the players' mental and physical strength that they managed to persevere in oppressive conditions better suited to opponents accustomed to playing in extreme weather. That could stand them in good stead for the more familiar conditions that will be present at Euro 2028.

Manager Thomas Tuchel's squad selection in May raised a few eyebrows when he left out players who have featured regularly in tournament football for England - such as Harry Maguire.

Also missing out were younger stars who many thought had proven themselves for the squad - like Cole Palmer - and high-profile names playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

However, the decision to include players like Djed Spence - playing for relegation-threatened Tottenham - proved to be a fruitful one.

Aside from the high-scoring names like Kane and Bellingham, Spence is one of the players who has come in for particular praise this tournament for his solid defensive displays.

He came in for particular adulation from both fans and pundits following the semi-final loss to Argentina, making several key tackles as England attempted to hold back the attacking tide of their opponents.

Defenders may not often come in for the same lavish praise as Golden Boot contenders. However, if England are to finally win another tournament, they will need players like Spence to add squad depth as well as their headline superstars.

One of the biggest criticisms of this current England side is an over-reliance on individual players like Harry Kane, who at the age of 32 will not be around much longer to rescue his side from tight spots such as the one they found themselves in against DR Congo.

With other veteran players likely to bow out from the international stage soon, there could be concerns their experience of tournament football will be a big loss to the squad.

However, with so much young talent at Tuchel's disposal, it could also be seen as an exciting opportunity to rebuild.

Many fans felt Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha was unlucky to not make the full squad after a few impressive showings in his debut Premier League season - followed by being named man of the match on his debut at the age of 17 in a tournament warm-up match against New Zealand.

And Arsenal's Max Dowman - who became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at the age of 16 in March, as well as the youngest-ever Premier League winner in May - is another exciting prospect for future tournaments.

It's also important to remember that tournament star player Jude Bellingham, along with Elliot Anderson, Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers and James Trafford are still all aged just 23 years old. They will be 27 at the next World Cup - statistically the perfect age to win the trophy.

England will play France for the World Cup third place on Saturday in Miami, which will be live on the BBC.

Attention will then turn to the Nations League beginning on 24 September, which will be another opportunity for Tuchel and his players to learn from what went wrong at the World Cup and build on the positives.

Then it's on to the Euros in 2028 - on home soil, as it is being co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

Many fans will dare to dream of a third consecutive final based on what we've seen this summer - but this time with a different outcome.