The history of the England national men's football team, also known as the Three Lions, begins with the first representative international match in 1870 and the first officially-recognised match two years later. England primarily competed in the British Home Championship over the following decades. Although the FA had joined the international governing body of association football FIFA in 1906, the relationship with the British associations was fraught. In 1928, the British nations withdrew from FIFA, in a dispute over payments to amateur players. This meant that England did not enter the first three World Cups.

The Three Lions first entered the World Cup in 1950 and have since qualified for 17 of the 20 finals tournaments to 2026. They won the 1966 World Cup on home soil, making them one of only eight nations to have won a FIFA World Cup. They have reached the semi-finals on three other occasions, in 1990, 2018 and 2026. The Three Lions have been eliminated from the World Cup quarter-final stage on seven occasions – more often than any other nation. England failed to qualify for the finals in 1974, 1978, and 1994.

England also compete in the UEFA European Championship. During the 2020 European Championships, they reached the final of the competition for the first time, finishing as runners-up. They were also runners-up in the next competition, in 2024. England reached the semi-finals in 1968 and 1996 with the latter held on home soil. England's most capped player is Peter Shilton with 125 caps and its top goalscorer is Harry Kane with 91 goals. England compete in the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, and UEFA Nations League. However, as a constituent country of the United Kingdom, England are not a member of the International Olympic Committee so are not eligible to compete in the Olympic Games.

This list encompasses honours won by the England national men's team, and records set by both players and managers including appearance and goal records. It also records England men's record victories.

Honours and achievements Sources:

Major FIFA World Cup Champions: 1966 Third place: 2026 UEFA European Championship Runners-up: 2020, 2024 Third place: 1968 UEFA Nations League Third place: 2019

Regional British Home Championship Champions outright (40): 1887–88, 1889–90, 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1897–98, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1912–13, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1931–32, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1953–54, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1982–83 Shared (14): 1885–86, 1905–06, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1938–39, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1963–64, 1969–70, 1973–74 Rous Cup Champions: 1986, 1988, 1989

Minor England Challenge Cup Champions: 1991 Tournoi de France Champions: 1997 FA Summer Tournament Champions: 2004

Awards FIFA World Cup: FIFA Fair Play Trophy: 1990, 1998 (shared), 2022 BBC Sports Personality of the Year: BBC Sports Team of the Year Award: 1966, 2021Sports Personality 2021: Gareth Southgate and England named Coach and Team of the Year BBC. BBC Sports Personality of the Year. 19 December 2021. Retrieved on 23 October 2023.

Individual records Player records Appearances Most appearances

RankPlayerCapsGoalsPosition1Peter Shilton1250GK1Harry Kane12591FW2015–Present3Wayne Rooney12053FW2003–20184David Beckham11517MF1996–20095Steven Gerrard11421MF2000–20146Bobby Moore1082DF1962–19737Ashley Cole1070DF2001–20148Bobby Charlton10649MF1958–1970Frank Lampard10629MF1999–201410Billy Wright1053DF1946–1959

First player to reach 100 appearances Billy Wright, 11 April 1959, 1–0 vs. Scotland Fastest to reach 100 appearances Harry Kane, 9 years 167 days, 27 March 2015 – 10 September 2024 Most consecutive appearancesBilly Wright's consecutive appearances were the last 70 of his international career. He had a further streak of 33 consecutive appearances at the start of his career, a total only exceeded by Ron Flowers (40) and Kenny Sansom (37), and equalled by Roger Byrne and David Watson. Billy Wright, 70, 3 October 1951 – 28 May 1959 Most appearances as a substitute Marcus Rashford, 43, 16 June 2016 – 18 July 2026 Most consecutive appearances as a substitute Owen Hargreaves, 14, 1 June 2004 – 10 June 2006 Most appearances as a substitute without ever starting a game Carlton Cole, 7, 11 January 2009 – 3 March 2010 Most appearances without ever completing a full game Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 12, 8 October 2020 – 27 March 2026 Most appearances in competitive matches (World Cup, European Championships, Nations League and qualifiers) Harry Kane, 98, 27 March 2015 – 27 June 2026 Longest England career Stanley Matthews, 22 years 228 days, 29 September 1934 – 15 May 1957 Shortest England career Martin Kelly, 2 minutes, 26 May 2012, 1–0 vs. Norway Most consecutive appearances comprising entire England career Roger Byrne, 33, 3 April 1954 – 27 November 1957 Youngest player Theo Walcott, 17 years 75 days, 30 May 2006, 3–1 vs. Hungary Oldest player Stanley Matthews, 42 years 103 days, 15 May 1957, 4–1 vs. Denmark Oldest debutantThere is some dispute about Alexander Morten's date of birth, which is usually cited as 15 November 1831. If Morten is excluded, the oldest England debutant is Leslie Compton (q.v.). Alexander Morten, 41 years 113 days, 8 March 1873, 4–2 vs. Scotland Oldest outfield debutant Leslie Compton, 38 years 64 days, 15 November 1950, 4–2 vs. Wales Most appearances at the World Cup finals Jordan Pickford, 19, 18 June 2018 – 15 July 2026 Most appearances without ever playing at the World Cup finals Dave Watson, 65, 3 April 1974 – 2 June 1982 Appearances at four World Cup final tournaments Jordan Henderson, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 Most non-playing selections for the World Cup finals Alan Hodgkinson, 2, 1958 and 1962 George Eastham, 2, 1962 and 1966 Viv Anderson, 2, 1982 and 1986 Chris Woods, 2, 1986 and 1990 Martin Keown and Nigel Martyn, 2, 1998 and 2002 David James, 2, 2002 and 2006 Nick Pope, 2, 2018 and 2022 Oldest player to feature at the World Cup finals Peter Shilton, 40 years, 292 days, 7 July 1990, 1–2 vs. Italy Oldest outfield player to feature at the World Cup finals Stanley Matthews, 39 years, 145 days, 26 June 1954, 2–4 vs. Uruguay Youngest player to feature at the World Cup finals Michael Owen, 18 years, 183 days, 15 June 1998, 2–0 vs. Tunisia Oldest player to feature in a World Cup qualifying match Stanley Matthews, 42 years, 103 days, 15 May 1957, 4–1 vs. Denmark Youngest player to feature in a World Cup qualifying match Jude Bellingham, 17 years, 249 days, 25 March 2021, 5–0 vs. San Marino First player to debut at the World Cup finals Laurie Hughes, 25 June 1950, 2–0 vs. Chile Last player to debut at the World Cup finals Allan Clarke, 7 June 1970, 1–0 vs. Czechoslovakia Most appearances at the European Championship finals Harry Kane, 18, 11 June 2016 – 14 July 2024 Most appearances without ever playing at the European Championship finals Rio Ferdinand, 81, 15 November 1997 – 4 June 2011 Appearances at three European Championship final tournaments Tony Adams, 1988, 1996 and 2000 Alan Shearer, 1992, 1996 and 2000 Sol Campbell and Gary Neville, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Steven Gerrard, 2000, 2004 and 2012 Wayne Rooney, 2004, 2012 and 2016 Jordan Henderson, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Harry Kane and Kyle Walker, 2016, 2020 and 2024 Most non-playing selections for the European Championship finals Tony Dorigo, 2, 1988 and 1992 Ian Walker, 2, 1996 and 2004 Dean Henderson and Aaron Ramsdale, 2, 2020 and 2024 Oldest player to feature at the European Championship finals Peter Shilton, 38 years, 271 days, 15 June 1988, 1–3 vs. Netherlands Oldest outfield player to feature at the European Championship finals Stuart Pearce, 34 years, 63 days, 26 June 1996, 1–1 vs. Germany Youngest player to feature at the European Championship finals Jude Bellingham, 17 years, 349 days, 13 June 2021, 1–0 vs. Croatia Oldest player to feature in a European Championship qualifying match David Seaman, 39 years, 27 days, 16 October 2002, 2–2 vs. Macedonia Oldest outfield player to feature in a European Championship qualifying match Stuart Pearce, 37 years, 137 days, 8 September 1999, 0–0 vs. Poland Youngest player to feature in a European Championship qualifying match Wayne Rooney, 17 years, 156 days, 29 March 2003, 2–0 vs. Liechtenstein Only player to debut at the European Championship finals Tommy Wright, 8 June 1968, 0–1 vs. Yugoslavia Most appearances on aggregate at the World Cup and European Championship finals Harry Kane, 29, 11 June 2016 – 14 July 2024 Most consecutive starts at the World Cup and European Championship finals Jordan Pickford and John Stones, 26, 18 June 2018 – 14 July 2024 Most appearances without ever playing at the World Cup finals or the European Championship finals Emlyn Hughes, 62, 5 November 1969 – 24 May 1980 Fewest appearances in total, having played at both the World Cup finals and European Championship finals Tommy Wright, 11, 8 June 1968 – 7 June 1970 Most appearances without ever being in a World Cup or European Championship finals squad Mick Channon, 46, 11 October 1972 – 7 September 1977 Most appearances without featuring in a competitive match George Eastham, 19, 8 May 1963 – 3 July 1966 Most Home International (British Championship) appearances Billy Wright, 38, 28 September 1946 – 11 April 1959 Most appearances without ever playing on a losing team David Rocastle, 14, 14 September 1988 – 17 May 1992 Most appearances without ever playing on a winning team Tommy Banks, 6, 18 May 1958 – 4 October 1958 Most appearances against a single opponent Billy Wright, 13 vs. Ireland/Northern Ireland, 28 September 1946 – 4 October 1958 and vs. Scotland, 12 April 1947 – 11 April 1959 Most appearances against a single non-British opponent Alan Ball, 8 vs. West Germany, 12 May 1965 – 12 March 1975 Most appearances at the old Wembley Peter Shilton, 52, 25 November 1970 – 22 May 1990 Most appearances at the new Wembley Kyle Walker, 40, 12 November 2011 – 24 March 2025 Most appearances at a single non-English ground Billy Wright, 7, Windsor Park, Belfast, 28 September 1946 – 4 October 1958 Most appearances at a single non-British ground Glenn Hoddle and Kenny Sansom, 5, Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, 6 June 1985 – 22 June 1986 Most consecutive years of appearances David Seaman, 15, 1988 to 2002 inclusive Rio Ferdinand, 15, 1997 to 2011 inclusive Most appearances in a single calendar year Jack Charlton, 16, 1966 Harry Kane, 16, 2021 Longest gap between appearances Ian Callaghan, 11 years 49 days, 20 July 1966, 2–0 vs. France – 7 September 1977, 0–0 vs. SwitzerlandEngland played 108 internationals between these two appearances, Ian Callaghan's second and third caps. This is also a record. Most tournaments appeared in consecutively Sol Campbell, 6, 1996 European Championships – 2006 World Cup Wayne Rooney, 6, 2004 European Championships – 2016 European Championships Jordan Henderson, 6, 2012 European Championships – 2022 World Cup Appearances in three separate decades Sam Hardy and Jesse Pennington, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s Stanley Matthews, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s Bobby Charlton, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s Emlyn Hughes, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s Peter Shilton, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s Tony Adams and David Seaman, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s Wes Brown, Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand, Emile Heskey, David James and Frank Lampard, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s Only player to make World Cup or European Championship finals appearances in three separate decades Tony Adams, 1988 European Championships; 1996 European Championships and 1998 World Cup; 2000 European Championships Most appearances in the same team Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard, 76, 2001 – 2014 Harry Kane and Kyle Walker, 76, 2015 – 2025