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What is England national football team?
The joint oldest national football team in the world, the England men’s national team represents England in international football tournaments. The national team is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the oldest football association in the world, and is a member of the Union of European Football Association (UEFA) in Europe, and comes under the global jurisdiction of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).
The team is currently managed by Gareth Southgate and captained by Harry Kane. The home stadium of the England national team is the Wembley Stadium in London, and the training headquarter is situated at St George’s Park, Burton Upon Trent.
England, as a team, does not participate in the Olympic games as it is not a member of the International Olympic Committee. England participates as part of the United Kingdom contingent.
History of England national football team
England team is the oldest in the world, along with Scotland team, which was created at the same time. The English FA organised the first match between England and Scotland on March 5, 1870. The first match, officially recognised, was played on November 30, 1872. The match was organised by representatives of Scottish football teams and was played in Scotland. For the first 40 years, the English team exclusively played with Home Nations — Scotland, Wales, and Ireland — in the British Home Championship. England became a member of FIFA in 1906 and played its first international matches against opponents other than the Home Nations in 1908 when the team went on a tour of Central Europe. Wembley Stadium, the three lions' home stadium, was opened in 1923.
In 1928, the relationship between FIFA and the FA became strained which led to FA’s departure from the world body. The FA rejoined in 1946 because of which, England didn’t participate in World Cup tournaments until 1950.
England at the FIFA World Cup
England started participating in the World Cup tournaments in 1950. The team has qualified for the mega event 15 times since then. The team failed to qualify for the tournament thrice in 1974, 1978, and in 1994. England team is one of the only 8 teams ever to win the World Cup at least once. It won the coveted world title in 1966 when the tournament was held in England. In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the team finished fourth.
England at the UEFA European Championship
England qualified for the continental tournament for the first time in 1968. Since then, the team has qualified for the tournament 10 times. England has never won the European title. Its best performance was in 1968 when it finished third. On four occasions, the three lions failed to progress from the group stage. In the last European Cup held in France in 2016, the team went out in the round of 16 after a defeat against Iceland.
The team has qualified for the Euro 2020 and is one of the heavy favourites to win the tournament. 11 different cities across Europe are hosting the continental event. The two semi-finals and the final of the tournament will be held at England’s home stadium, Wembley Stadium.