England Euro 2020 team guide – Fixtures, key players, predictions

After more than a year of COVID restrictions, the country is craving friends, family and football, and Euro 2020 promises one thing England fans have lacked for over a decade: genuine, authentic hope.

For the first time since the doomed golden generation of the 2000s, England boasts a squad of fresh-faced players entering their early 20s and flirting with the 'world class' tag.

This is a huge summer for Gareth Southgate and for England – can they get it right? Is football finally coming home?

RadioTimes.com brings you the full England team guide for Euro 2020 including fixtures, the squad, key players and more.

When are England playing next?

England's first fixture at Euro 2020 will see them face Croatia in a key clash on Sunday 13th June 2021.

The match kicks off at 2pm (UK time) and will be shown live on BBC One.

Wembley will host the game, meaning a majority home crowd and familiar surroundings to help the Three Lions settle into the tournament.

England fixtures

Sunday 13th June

Game 1 – Group D: England v Croatia (2pm)

Friday 18th June

Game 2 – Group D: England v Scotland (8pm)

Tuesday 22nd June

Game 3 – Group D: Czech Republic v England (8pm)

Check out when and where every game is available to watch with our Euro 2020 on TV guide.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheff Utd)

Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Ben White (Brighton)

Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Jesse Lingard (Man Utd), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

England manager

Gareth Southgate

Southgate must prove he is more than a pleasant ambassador and elite waistcoat model in Euro 2020. He's had plenty of time to cultivate a tremendous crop of English talents, now it's time to make a genuine charge at winning something.

He boasts plenty of attacking weapons and there will be a lot of pressure on him to extract plenty of goals from them, rather than playing safe, cautious football.

England key player

Harry Kane

While much of the pre-tournament hype will revolve around Phil Foden and Mason Mount as England's young guns, Kane is very much the main man, with the expectations of the nation resting on his shoulders.

Kane is an elite natural striker – arguably only bettered by Robert Lewandowski in terms of the world's best – and he will lead the line straight through the middle.

Everything will run through, and by, Kane. He will drop deep and operate in a playmaker role at times, but his main focus should always be to stay high up the field and allow England's creative brains to do the work behind him.

England predictions

For football to come home, England will need to be brave and bold. They will need to lean into their attacking talents as opposed to playing a more reserved style that many fear Southgate will opt for.

If Southgate goes with a back four and uses the likes of fearless Foden in support of Kane, the Three Lions have every chance of a deep run.

The biggest hurdle will be the Round of 16, where England could face Portugal, France or Germany. Don't be surprised if they leave the competition at that stage, but if they can find a way through, a path to the final could well open up for them.

Prediction: Runners up

Who will win Euro 2020? Check out our full predictions as we rank and rate all 24 teams.

If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.