Declan Rice has said England must “keep going” to win a major trophy but it’s “a fact” that they are the closest side to the 1966 legends.
England finished third at the 2026 World Cup after a 6-4 win over France on Saturday night in the third-place playoff, their best finish since Sir Alf Ramsey and his players lifted the trophy at Wembley 60 years ago.
England’s tenure in the U.S., Canada and Mexico might be remembered for their disappointing semifinal exit to Argentina but Rice — who scored a brilliant opener against France — remains optimistic.
“This is the best England group for a very long time,” he told the BBC. “That’s a fact. No-one can take that away from us.”
Rice added: “I think we can be proud as a group — we are just gutted we lost in that semifinal.
“We’re tired of saying we’re proud of coming in semifinals and quarterfinals — we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement.
“We’re so close, honestly. There’s been so much talk about this group over the last few years going out of tournaments. There’s been semifinal exits, quarterfinals, finals.
“I think we need to keep going. I do think it’s close. It’s a game of small margins. It’s football and the other night we lost on margins and in the boxes.”
England were just minutes away from qualifying for the final but Argentina scored twice from the 85th minute — through Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez — to send them packing.
Harry Kane, who was rested against France after scoring six goals at the World Cup, agreed with Rice: “One of the best England groups that I have ever been a part of.
“When you see the boys around the hotel, when you see us training on the pitch, when you see us in the changing room, it is a unique group. We had that bond and had so much belief in each other.”
Kane said about head coach Thomas Tuchel: “It is his first major tournament. I think he has learned a lot of the squad, the campaign, the travel and the games and what it takes — the pressure.”
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Assistant coach Anthony Barry said at half-time of the France match, as England led 4-0: “I’m a little bit emotional. I can’t find the words to describe just how proud I am of these players.
“They are playing a game with broken hearts. I see 11 lads out on the field with broken hearts, I’ve seen them in the hotel the last two days [with] broken hearts.
“They can build a performance like that just through pride of playing for England. The team spirit we’ve built the last seven weeks, it’s just been a privilege to watch.”
Barry added: “I know what the cynics will say, it’s too late, but we still play against a world-class opponent and that 45 minutes, I’m so proud of the boys.”
