Despite a stuttering draw against the USA on Friday night, Gareth Southgate's England are still one of the favourites to go all the way in Qatar.
The Three Lions have a squad overflowing with talent. In almost every position (Except centre-half), England have two or three players that play at a high level for their clubs.
It may or may not be a surprise to learn that there are a number of English players that could have played for Ireland had they chosen to. We all know the Declan Rice and Jack Grealish sagas, but there are actually at least four more English squad members with serious Irish links that could have lined out for the Boys in Green.
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Jude Bellingham
It's hard to believe that Jude Bellingham is still only 19-years-old. The midfielder was a prodigious talent as a young teenager and had been touted as a future England star for at least a year before he made his debut against Ireland in 2020.
He left Birmingham City for Borussia Dortmund in 2020 and has shone in the Champions League this season. While at Birmingham, Bellingham became the youngest player to ever play for the club at 16 years and 36 days of age.
But did you know that Bellingham could have declared for Ireland through an Irish grandparent? That's right, Bellingham qualifies for Ireland through the infamous 'granny rule.'
Check out this adorable Bellingham in an old-school Irish jersey, the closest we'll ever come to see him representing The Boys in Green.
Harry Kane
Soon to be England's record goalscorer, Harry Kane was eligible to play for Ireland through his Irish father.
Kane has plenty of family hailing from the Gaeltacht regions of Galway.
And while Harry was born and raised in London, he spent plenty of time around his Irish family.
Just last week, Kane's Irish cousins defended the Spurs man for not wearing the 'One Love' armband against Iran.
Kane has gone on to have a fabulous career at Club and International level, so chances are he doesn't regret the decision not to link up with Callum Robinson (The Real CR7) up top.
Harry Maguire
The second Harry on this list, Maguire could also have declared for Ireland through his Irish grandparents.
In fact, Maguire could have played for either Northern Ireland or the Republic. In the end, he went with England and has now won over 50 caps for the country.
While maligned by Manchester United fans, Maguire has never let his country down and would surely have become an important Irish member had he decided to play for The Boys in Green.
Callum Wilson
Wilson qualified for Ireland through, you guessed it, a grandparent.
Unlike the other members on this list, Wilson actually came relatively close for lining out for Ireland. Back in Martin O'Neil's time in charge of Ireland, the then boss went to see Wilson play for Bournemouth on a number of occasions.
The striker then suffered a series of serious knee injuries that ruled him out of action for six months at a time. Talk of Wilson to Ireland went cold and by the time Wilson started banging goals in for Bournemouth in the Premier League, England came calling and put an end to his chances of representing Ireland.
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