Bellingham says England must feel loved ahead of World Cup 2026
Jude Bellingham said England must feel loved as Thomas Tuchel weighs his No. 10 role, with the 22-year-old chasing a second World Cup after Qatar.
Jude Bellingham has cast England’s World Cup challenge as something deeper than shape, selection or a single attacking role. The 22-year-old midfielder said the squad need to "feel loved" as Thomas Tuchel’s side build toward the FIFA World Cup 2026, a remark that puts team culture, trust and belonging at the centre of England’s bid for a first men’s title since 1966.
Bellingham is heading to his second World Cup after making his tournament debut in Qatar in 2022, when England reached the quarter-finals. He is back in Tuchel’s squad alongside regulars such as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, but the path into the team is not straightforward. Tuchel has already made clear there is a selection decision to be made over Bellingham’s role, including the No. 10 position, with Morgan Rogers among the players who could also fill that space.
The debate has sharpened because England’s pre-tournament camp in the United States has already offered a glimpse of both Bellingham’s value and the competition around him. England beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa, Florida, on 6 June 2026, and Bellingham said he was "feeling good" after the match. He also captained the side in the second half, another sign that Tuchel sees him as more than just a goal threat or creator in the final third.
Yet Bellingham’s comments have also pointed to a broader lesson from England’s recent tournament history. He said the side got things wrong off the pitch at their last major competition, adding that there were "a number of reasons" why players did not connect properly and did not hold onto the feeling of winning matches. That speaks to a recurring issue for England: the burden of expectation can expose not only tactical flaws but also fractures in confidence and cohesion.
For an England group trying to end nearly six decades without a World Cup crown, that matters. With Harry Kane, Rice, Saka and Bellingham in the same setup, Tuchel has talent at his disposal. The harder task may be turning that talent into a unit that can withstand scrutiny in North America, where England’s success could depend as much on resilience and togetherness as on the choice of No. 10.
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