Old England is descending upon New England.
The Three Lions are set to play their second of three Group L matches at Gillette Stadium (which, for sponsorship reasons, will be known as “Boston Stadium” for the duration of the tournament) on Tuesday, June 23 at 4 p.m. against Ghana.
England kicked off its 2026 FIFA World Cup run with a strong showing against Croatia on Wednesday, June 18, taking down the 2018 runners up 4-2 in Dallas led by a brace from captain Harry Kane. The Black Stars, meanwhile, also secured an opening win on the same day, defeating Panama 1-0 in Toronto thanks to an extra time winner from Caleb Yirenkyi. Ghana did so without the help of midfielder and vice-captain Thomas Partey, who was denied a visa to enter Canada stemming from the seven charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault he faces in the United Kingdom and had to remain at their base in Providence.
The BetMGM Sportsbook has the Three Lions with the third best odds (+550) to win the tournament and as a 1.5 goal favorite to beat the Black Stars. A win here should be enough to secure England the top spot in Group L.
Is Harry Kane playing today?
The 32 year old Bayern Munich forward and England captain is not only playing, but once again should prove vital to the success of the Three Lions. After opening the scoring from the penalty spot against Croatia in the 12th minute, having gotten a second chance after goalkeeper Dominik Livaković was ruled to be off his line on the first chance, Kane broke a 1-1 stalemate in the 42nd minute with a thunderous header to the right of the keeper. The goal not only complete a first half brace, but tied him with Gary Lineker for the most World Cup goals scored by an Englishman (10), so history is likely on the table for this match.
He entered the World Cup on the back of a strong club campaign for Die Roten, scoring 61 goals across all competitions while helping the Bavarian giants win both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, Germany’s premier cup competition. It marks the second straight league title for Kane, who had never won a major trophy during his 13 years at Tottenham, and should only increase his appetite for success with the Three Lions.
Playing in Foxboro should be extra special for Kane as well, as the England captain is a noted fan of both Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. He attended Super Bowl LIII in 2019, the same year he also expressed interest in becoming an NFL kicker someday, and shared a throwback photo of himself and Brady on Instragam ahead of Super Bowl LX in February to show his support for the Pats.
Is Jude Bellingham playing today?
The 22-year-old Real Madrid midfielder proved some of his doubters wrong in Dallas after an inconsistent season in the Spanish capital, putting in a strong performance including netting the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute.
The Birmingham City academy product had 8 goals in 40 appearances for Los Blancos across all competitions this past season, having missed some matches early following shoulder surgery last summer. Now recovered and rejuvenated, Bellingham looks well suited to play the central role as England’s No. 10, driving the Three Lions forward and earned a strong endorsement from his teammate Morgan Rogers following the Croatia match.
“Jude’s one of the best players in the world,” Rogers told reporters. “I know that, and if we’re going to do well in this tournament, he’s going to have to be at the forefront of it.”
England predicted lineup vs. Ghana
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Reese James, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly
Midfield: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice
Forwards: Noni Madueke, Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon
Projected England XI vs Ghana: Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly; Anderson, Bellingham, Rice; Madueke, Kane, Gordon
England Men’s National Team 2026 FIFA World Cup 26-man squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton FC), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea FC), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea FC), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal FC), Jordan Henderson (Brentford FC), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal FC), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (FC Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal FC), Marcus Rashford (FC Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal FC), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: England World Cup projected lineup vs. Ghana. Kane, Bellingham stars
