Frank Lampard, a former England midfielder, is optimistic that the Three Lions will compete in the World Cup in Qatar “as one of the favourites.”
England kicks off their Group B campaign against Iran on Monday, hoping to overcome their poor recent Nations League form in order to win their second World Cup.
Lampard, the manager of Everton, agrees with Steve Gerard, a former international teammate, and believes England is one of the favourites to win the tournament.
“We’ve got a squad that has been building for a couple of years, they’ve had a couple of tournaments where they’ve had relative success and they’re getting stronger, in my opinion,” Lampard said.
“I think we can fairly put England as one of the favourites for the tournament, with the talent they have in the squad.
“I think it’ll be about momentum in the tournament itself, who gets through the group, who builds that confidence and momentum, and then that can take you all the way.”
The only country in Europe to have advanced to the semifinals in each of the last two major competitions is England.
However, England has only advanced past the quarterfinals of the tournament twice since winning the World Cup on home soil in 1966, finishing fourth in 1990 and 2018.
