Declan Rice has described the current England squad as the finest he has been part of in recent memory, speaking after the team claimed third place at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Rice captained England to a stunning 6-4 victory over France in the bronze-medal match, a result that offered some consolation after a painful semi-final defeat to Argentina. Despite the pride he felt, Rice was candid about the heartbreak of falling at the penultimate hurdle.

Rice's honest reflection

"This is the best England group for a very long time. That's a fact. No-one can take that away from us," Rice said after the match.

"I think we can be proud as a group — we're just gutted we lost in that semi-final. We're tired of saying we're proud of coming in semi-finals and quarter-finals — we want to win with England ultimately. But to come third in this tournament is a real achievement."

The Arsenal midfielder acknowledged that England have been close to the summit of international football across multiple tournaments, pointing to a pattern of semi-final exits, quarter-final eliminations, and even a final appearance in recent years.

"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 semi-final exits, quarter-finals, 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 against Argentina we lost on margins and in the boxes."

What's next for England

England return to action in September as part of the UEFA Nations League, where they face new world champions Spain and Czechia in upcoming fixtures.

With Rice leading the group and belief growing within the camp, the pressure will be on England to turn their near-misses into a major honour — and Rice appears determined to ensure this generation does not leave the game empty-handed.