On Friday, Thomas Tuchel will name the 26-man England squad that he hopes will get the job done at the World Cup this summer and finally stop the country harking back to 1966 every four years.
There are some players you can stake a mortgage on being named, but there are several question marks still hovering over certain spots in the group.
Tuchel has been seen at several matches over the past couple of weeks, scouring the country for a last glimpse at certain contenders. He'd also have been keeping everything crossed that no last-minute injuries befell his key lieutenants, while monitoring the already exhausted players he hopes to rely on this summer.
Injury has already cost Ben White his spot. Between Friday's announcement and the team meeting to start their World Cup journey, there's the final round of the Premier League and two European finals still to be played. It's all a juggling act.
But right now, as we wait to hear Tuchel's 26 at Wembley on Friday, here are the big questions needing to be answered ahead of England's World Cup squad announcement.
Who will be back up to Kane?
It's been the perennial question ever since Kane established himself as the country's clear first-choice No.9. Since Gareth Southgate led England to the Euro 2024 final, Phil Foden, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke have all started up front, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney have played there off the bench. In the last camp, Solanke and Calvert-Lewin had their shot Uruguay but neither could leave their stamp on the shirt, while Foden was given false 9 duties against Japan.
No one has yet nailed their colours to the mast. Danny Welbeck is part of the wider 55-man squad submitted to FIFA by England, sources have told ESPN, so he could yet gatecrash it despite not having played for his country since 2018, but it's a murky picture. Foden's audition against Japan fell flat, while we can count Toney out of the picture. Calvert-Lewin has played well for Leeds this term, but fluffed his lines against Uruguay, while Solanke is injured.
So that leaves Watkins as the clear contender to travel as back-up to Kane. Watkins' form has improved since Tuchel left him out of his last England squad, with Watkins saying the snub lit "fire in [his] belly" to prove doubters, while don't discount Welbeck who's been so consistent for Brighton this term.
The other option is he just stakes his faith in Rashford and Foden to do the job if needs be. It's a position where we're still waiting for clarity.
The right-back problem
White sprang back into the England picture in their last two friendlies, having been in the wilderness since leaving the last World Cup squad during Qatar 2022 after falling out with management. He played well against Uruguay (scoring and giving away a penalty) and Japan, while he has been a key figure in Arsenal's impressive season. But then he injured his knee against West Ham on May 10, and the latest prognosis rules him out of the World Cup.
Tino Livramento is another contender to feature at right-back, but he injured his thigh for Newcastle against Bournemouth on April 18 and hasn't played since, while Reece James made his comeback from his latest injury off the bench against Liverpool on May 9 and started the FA Cup final. It's far from settled.
Tuchel is a fan of Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah and name-checked him last year as someone ahead of another contender Trent Alexander-Arnold in the right-back pecking order. Both of those are in the picture, though when Alexander-Arnold was left out of the last England squad, that looked to be his chances gone.
Myles Lewis-Skelly is back playing for Arsenal so his versatility could see him picked, while Lewis Hall and Djed Spence can both play at right-back, with Spence's form a rare bright spark in a dismal Spurs season.
Tuchel will take Livramento and James if the consensus is they'll be fit to play 90 minutes against Croatia on June 17. White's injury could offer a late olive branch to Alexander-Arnold.
Form against credit in the bank
A year ago, you'd have tattooed the names Phil Foden and Cole Palmer into this squad. Tuchel has picked Foden for the past two camps, and started him against Uruguay and Japan, first in the No. 10 role and then as a false 9. His form has come in fits and starts for City, his backheeled assist against Crystal Palace a reminder of his incredible ability, but he's struggled to put together a run of matches where we've seen the old Foden. He was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final.
Palmer has had a troubled 2025-26 season with groin problems seeing him miss three months at the start of the campaign, and he's struggled to rediscover his best form since then.
Both are a way off the form we saw last term, and realising their boundless talent. So what does Tuchel do?
You can see a World Cup squad with one of the two missing. But does he pick them both knowing A) they have major tournament pedigree and B) if they can somehow re-find their best form and rhythm, they could bring tournament-defining performances.
Morgan Rogers appears to be in pole position for the No. 10 spot while Jude Bellingham will also feature, but if you include Foden and Palmer, then you are potentially costing a player like Eberechi Eze his spot, who has played consistently well for Arsenal. And then there's Morgan Gibbs-White who was immense in saving Nottingham Forest from the drop, and steering them to the Europa League semifinal before a deep cut to the forehead ruled him out of the second leg. This call also has wider ramifications over a player like Noni Madueke's chances, a player Tuchel admires.
Elsewhere, he also has a call to make on John Stones. Back in March, Tuchel said of Stones: "He has a lot of credit with me in the bank. He is a key player for me as a starter or coming off the bench. His quality, his mentality and the personality, how he is, he is a big part of my plans still, but like everyone he has to be fit."
Since then, for Manchester City, Stones started their FA Cup semifinal against Southampton, and was a late substitute in their win over Crystal Palace. But like Foden, he stayed on the bench in the FA Cup final. That's hardly proof of fitness, or form.
It's a tricky juggling act, and as Tuchel has proven, there's little room for sentimentality so don't discount one major name missing out on selection.
The central midfield conundrum
As things stand, judging by what Tuchel has preferred in the past, you can see Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Rogers starting against Croatia on June 17. But what about his options beyond that?
Jordan Henderson is back fit for Brentford and is likely to travel as he brings experience and big-tournament nous, while also playing a key role in setting standards in camp and training.
Kobbie Mainoo is back to his best under Michael Carrick at Manchester United so could make the 26-man squad despite only being picked by Tuchel for the last camp, while Bellingham will go.
That leaves a question mark over Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, while Liverpool's Curtis Jones and Bournemouth's Alex Scott has also featured in the past. And then there's Everton's James Garner who made his England debut against Uruguay and was one of the few to impress. There are big decisions to be made here.
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Late bolters
Harry Maguire burst back into the England contention after impressing in the last camp, winning his first international minutes since September 2024 in the Lee Carsley interim era. Luke Shaw last played for England under Southgate in the final of Euro 2024 but is on the 55-man longlist for the World Cup, while Welbeck, as previously mentioned, could also gatecrash things. With question marks still over the fullback spots, after playing consistently this season, Shaw could be a late bolter for the squad.
Then there's the central midfield issue. In defence, would Quansah qualify as a bolter? If they need extra cover at right-back, his versatility could see him included. There's always drama and surprise when it comes to World Cup squads.
Exhaustion
"It is a threat. Not the biggest one but it is a threat. It's just a fact, fatigue."
That was Tuchel speaking after Rice and Bukayo Saka withdrew from the last England camp with minor injuries. But as he says, fatigue is a threat to England.
Certain players look absolutely shattered, after another breathless season. If you look at the most minutes played across Europe's big five leagues (including European adventures and domestic cups) six England players feature in the top 35 for most minutes played: Rogers, Rice, Dean Henderson, Anderson, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guéhi.
Chelsea's season has been never-ending given they won the Club World Cup last summer, while a player like Rice has been an ever-present for Arsenal as they battled across four tournaments. In short, Tuchel is going to have some exhausted players in America this summer.
Picking the right 26-man squad is essential in maintaining the balancing act of winning matches in the short-term, and balancing players' needs through a gruelling tournament after an energy-sapping season.