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The 48-team FIFA World Cup 2026, the largest ever held, begins on Thursday with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.

England will kick off their World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia on June 17, and their current squad includes players who have already experienced international success — at the U20 level.

Back in 2017, England clinched the FIFA U20 World Cup title by defeating Venezuela 1-0 in the final. But which of those young champions have made it to the senior squad?

Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man selection for England includes only one outfield player who was part of that U20 World Cup-winning side.

That player is centre-back Ezri Konsa, who brings with him the experience of having been part of a World Cup-winning team — even though he featured for just one minute during that tournament.

Among Paul Simpson’s U20 squad, the standout performer was Dominic Solanke, who was named Player of the Tournament and awarded the Golden Ball.

Now 28, Solanke joined an elite list of previous winners of the same honour, including Argentina legends Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, and Sergio Aguero.

Solanke’s club journey has taken him from Liverpool to Bournemouth and now Tottenham Hotspur, but after a challenging season with a Spurs side battling relegation, he was unable to secure a spot in Tuchel’s final squad.

The only other player to have featured both in England’s U20 World Cup-winning squad and Tuchel’s current senior team is goalkeeper Dean Henderson. He played in the 1-1 group-stage draw against Guinea during the 2017 tournament.

Liverpool’s third-choice goalkeeper this season, Freddie Woodman, earned the Golden Glove award at the 2017 U20 World Cup while playing for Newcastle United. Woodman saw limited action this season, stepping in for Giorgi Mamardashvili and Alisson Becker during injury spells.

Interestingly, the 2026 England squad also includes another player who has previously lifted a World Cup — but at the U17 level.

That player is centre-back Marc Guehi, Konsa’s defensive partner, who helped England secure their first-ever U17 World Cup triumph alongside his then-team-mate from Manchester City, Phil Foden.

Foden’s exclusion from Tuchel’s latest squad is one of the most surprising decisions, matched only by the omission of Morgan Gibbs-White, another member of that victorious U17 team.