Stuart Pearce gives his reasons why England will NOT win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Stuart Pearce believes the challenges of a North American World Cup may be too much for England next year.

The United States will host the bulk of the matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico, and the Three Lions are close to qualifying for the 48-team event. Should they do the expected and book their ticket to the quadrennial event, England will be among the favourites to win the entire thing based on their recent results in major competitions, most notably back-to-back runners-up medals at the two most recent European Championships.

However, the expanded World Cup next summer will present some problems as teams making long runs through the competition will likely have to deal with stifling heat, long travel between games and multiple timezones, all while potentially playing in three separate countries along the way.

Pearce, who starred for England in the 1980s and 1990s, believes the many variables of a cross-continental North American tournament may be a big ask of manager Thomas Tuchel, who took over earlier this year after Gareth Southgate's eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions. 

"Tuchel certainly comes with a great CV. I think he needs to build on what Gareth's done - and Gareth needs a great deal of plaudits. Sometimes it’s like ‘Caesar's dead, long-lived the king’ mentality. I don't think you can ever underestimate what Gareth's done for the FA and England.

"But I think it's a tough ask. The fact that he's only got a one-year contract that takes him to the World Cup next year, if we're going to judge him, solely on whether he wins or doesn't win the World Cup.

"I think that's tough on him as a manager, and it puts the FA and the team under a little bit more pressure. 

"Do I think they can go to the States and win the World Cup? I don’t think so, if I’m being honest. I think it's a tough ask with the climate, the travel and everything that goes with it.

"Time will tell on that one, but certainly the organisation itself is built as a winning organisation now."

Build your dream football club with free-to-play mobile game CLUB Game. Sign real world players to your squad and win points for real-world performances, take control in the boardroom to shape the club and compete online against friends and owners around the world. Download for Apple and Android in the app store now.