Best England team for a long time - that's a fact, says Rice

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Declan Rice described England’s 2026 World Cup squad as the country’s strongest group “for a very long time” after the team beat France 6-4 in Miami to finish third. The result gave England a bronze medal and, according to the BBC, their best men’s World Cup placing since winning the tournament in 1966. Rice, who captained the side in the third-place play-off, said the squad remained hurt by its semi-final defeat by Argentina but believed a major trophy was within reach.

The report frames the France match as a high-scoring response to criticism of manager Thomas Tuchel’s decisions in the Argentina loss. Assistant manager Anthony Barry told BBC One at half-time that the players had been emotionally affected by missing the final but had shown pride in representing England. Tuchel also defended his position, saying he did not believe he had lost the squad’s trust and describing the semi-final defeat as a lasting scar in elite sport.

BBC Sport says Tuchel is likely to remain in charge through Euro 2028, which England is co-hosting, though pundits questioned whether he should. Former England midfielder Danny Murphy said Tuchel had failed because of his tactics against Argentina, while Stephen Warnock and Martin Keown pointed to England’s greater pace and attacking threat against France.

Harry Kane, who scored six goals at the tournament but did not play against France, also praised the squad’s unity. Bukayo Saka, left unused in the semi-final, scored a hat-trick in the bronze-medal match and said he was fit, adding that the team could only respond by finishing strongly.