England’s squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup have been confirmed.Captain Harry Kane will wear his usual No 9 when he leads the team out in their opening game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on June 17 against Croatia, if he is selected in the starting lineup as expected.Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has been handed the No 10 shirt for the second major tournament in a row, while Declan Rice retains No 4.Only six players in the squad have been assigned a number that matches they wear for their current club. Kane wears No 9 for Bayern Munich, Jordan Pickford is Everton’s No 1, the Arsenal duo of Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke wear No 7 and No 20 respectively, Elliot Anderson dons No 8 for Nottingham Forest and Chelsea captain Reece James wears No 24. John Stones has worn No 5 throughout his Manchester City career, though he played his final game for the club last month and is set to become a free agent.The maximum number of players that can be named in a World Cup squad is 26, having been increased from 23 for the first at the 2022 World Cup. In the event that one of the three included goalkeepers sustains a serious injury, nations can call on an emergency goalkeeper from their provisional squad list. This goalkeeper would wear No 27.England are set to play warm-up games against New Zealand and Costa Rica before beginning their World Cup campaign against Croatia. Thomas Tuchel’s side will then take on Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts before wrapping up their group stage against Panama at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey four days later.What can squad numbers tell us about Tuchel’s plans?Analysis by football news correspondent Dan SheldonThe standout number has to be Bellingham receiving the No 10 shirt.Having previously been left out of England’s squad for the October matches against Wales and Latvia, this is perhaps the clearest indication that Bellingham is going to be central to Tuchel’s plans this summer.The pair have had arguably had an indifferent start to their working relationship, with Tuchel apologising for having previously described elements of Bellingham’s on-field behaviour as “repulsive” last year, adding that he used the word “unintentionally”.However, there is no denying the quality Bellingham possesses and his ability to standout on the biggest stage, so for him to be handed the No 10 shirt makes perfect sense.Elsewhere, Reece James has been handed his favoured No 24 — the number he wears at Chelsea — and you would expect him to start at right back, while Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly being given the No 3 shirt indicates he will be starting at left-back.One intriguing battle for a place in the starting XI will be between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon. Rashford has been given the No 11 short, which could indicate he is Tuchel’s preference, with Gordon handed No 18.The assignment of squad numbers always leads to plenty of debate as everyone tries to piece together what it must mean in terms of the starting XI, and it won’t be any different this time as England gear up towards their World Cup campaign getting underway against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.England squad numbers in full