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Group F would finally see England, the home of football, enter the fray. Sir Alf Ramsey was the undisputed choice as manager, for obvious reasons. He would have no shortage of players to choose from, with England of course having the longest history in the game of any team.
This presented its own headaches in terms of selection. England have arguably not had as many true all-time great individuals as some of the other teams in this tournament – Perhaps only Banks, Moore, Charlton and Matthews stand comparison with the likes of Pele, Cruyff and Beckenbauer - but plenty of excellent players who fall into the next tier down, and some famous names would have to miss out.
England’s goalkeeping trio looked as strong as any in the tournament. Ramsey might have picked himself at right-back, but Jimmy Armfield would get the nod ahead of Cohen, Stevens and Neville. Competition was fiercer at left-back. Ray Wilson would start, with Pearce on the bench and Cooper and Hapgood both unlucky to miss out.
Bobby Moore was a certainty at centre back. Alongside him, 100-cap Billy Wright was a contender but his lack of pace left a gap for Des Walker. As reserve, Ramsey picked the combative Butcher ahead of the more cultured Neil Franklin, who famously blew his career to join a non-FIFA approved Colombian league in 1950.
Manchester United legend Duncan Edwards could also play in defence, but here he would be the ball-winning midfielder, with Bryan Robson as his runner. 84-cap Ray Wilkins, a superb passer of the ball, narrowly misses out to other great passers Haynes and Gascoigne, as does Glenn Hoddle. Another highly-capped player to miss out is David Beckham. Great crossing, free kicks and work-rate alone are not enough at this high level, with Matthews and Finney ahead of him.
On the left, Bobby Charlton was a shoe-in, although if he was moved inside Arsenal’s Cliff Bastin could cover. The question was whether Ramsey’s 4-4-2 would allow for traditional wingers at all.
Up front, Ramsey looked set for a classic ‘Big Man & Quick Man” combination. Tommy Lawton and Dixie Dean would vie for the target man role, with Jimmy Greaves or Gary Lineker hoping to profit from the knockdowns. That meant no place in the squad for Word Cup hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst, World Record transfer Alan Shearer or European footballers Of The year Kevin Keegan and Michael Owen. Ramsey was not one to be swayed by reputations or sentiment.
A strong squad, no doubt, who would feel confident of winning their group fairly comfortably. Would they be able to conjure the individual moments of brilliance that can decide tight games in the latter stages?
| Number | Position | Player | Era |
| 1 | GK | Banks | 1960's |
| 2 | RB | Armfield | 1960's |
| 3 | LB | Wilson | 1960's |
| 4 | CB | B.Wright | 1940's-50's |
| 5 | DM/CB | Edwards | 1950's |
| 6 | CB | Moore | 1960's-70's |
| 7 | RW | Matthews | 1930's-50's |
| 8 | CM | Robson | 1980's-90's |
| 9 | CF | Greaves | 1960's |
| 10 | CF | Dean | 1920's-30's |
| 11 | LW/AM | B.Charlton | 1950's-70's |
| 12 | CB | Walker | 1980's-90's |
| 13 | GK | Shilton | 1970's-80's |
| 14 | LW | Bastin | 1930's |
| 15 | LB | Pearce | 1980's-90's |
| 16 | CB | Butcher | 1980's |
| 17 | CF | Lawton | 1930's-50's |
| 18 | RW/LW | Finney | 1940's-50's |
| 19 | AM | Gascoigne | 1990's |
| 20 | CF | Lineker | 1980's-90's |
| 21 | AM | Haynes | 1950's-60's |
| 22 | GK | Swift | 1930's-40's |
| Coach | Ramsey |
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