England World Cup 2022 squad: what is the average age of Gareth Southgate’s Qatar picks and caps per player?

Gareth Southgate has confirmed his 26 man England squad for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 52-year-old is aiming to become the first manager since 1966 to lift the famous World Cup trophy with the Three Lions.

In 2018, Southgate appeared to wipe the slate clean as England manager by naming the most inexperienced team at a World Cup in 56 years with his squad averaging just 21 international appearances per player.

But how does the 2022 World Cup squad compare to those in previous tournaments in terms of experience and age?

England squad caps

The 2022 World Cup squad is the fourth most experienced England team in history in terms of caps with the squad averaging 32 international caps - 11 higher than the number recorded in 2018.

Southgate has chosen to remain loyal to the majority of the players from Euro 2020 and has an average retention rate of 73 per cent. This is the highest retention rate between major tournaments for any England squad and 19 of the 26 players named in the team have been retained from the previous tournament.

This statistic can hardly come as a surprise for two reasons. The first being that England were incredibly successful at Euro 2020 - producing their best performance in a European Championship to date and only narrowly missing out on glory in the final through penalties.

The second being that this is the shortest gap between two major tournaments in history with just 17 months separating Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022. Euro 2020 was played a year late due to the Covid-19 pandemic meaning the two tournaments are being played much closer together than usual.

What is the average age of the England squad?

England’s World Cup squad for 2022 has an average age of 26 years and 153 days, which is just 48 days younger than Sir Alf Ramsey’s winning team in 1966.

The Three Lions squad for this year’s tournament is only slightly older than the one named in 2018 which had an average age of 26.

International caps and averages do not necessarily go hand in hand as there were much fewer games in the earlier years which can cause anomalies in the results from previous years. In today’s game there are a lot more international fixtures due to the introduction of additional competitions such as the UEFA Nations League in 2018.

Who is the youngest player in the current England squad?

The youngest player in the England squad is Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham at just 19 years of age. Bellingham has already been capped 17 times for his county and is tipped to be a regular starter at this year’s tournament by many pundits after a series of impressive displays for England.

Who is the youngest ever player to make England’s World Cup squad?

Theo Walcott remains the youngest England player to receive a World Cup call up in history. The former Arsenal forward was a shock selection at the 2006 World Cup in Germany and was selected ahead of a number of in form players such as Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe.

The decision to call up Walcott raised many eyebrows at the time and England manager Sven Goran Eriksson didn’t use the teenage forward at any point during the tournament. Despite the criticism, Eriksson defended his decision and claimed it would stand him and England in good stead for the future.

Walcott made a total of 47 appearances for England but made just four appearances at major tournaments.

Who is the oldest player in England’s World Cup squad?

England are without a true veteran at this year’s tournament but have a number of experienced players at their disposal. The oldest player in this year’s Three Lions squad is Manchester City defender Kyle Walker at 32-years-old.

The Three Lions have a trio of 32-year-olds at their disposal and the likes of Kieran Trippier and Jordan Henderson are also captains at their club sides.

Who is the oldest player to ever make England’s World Cup squad?

England’s most capped player of all time Peter Shilton was 40-years-old when he represented the Three Lions during the 1990 World Cup.

The Three Lions reached the semi-final of the tournament but were beaten on penalties by Germany. Shilton’s 125th and final cap for England came in a third-place playoff defeat to hosts Italy.