England have announced their squad for the 2026 World Cup, renewing hopes that the current crop might finally achieve what the famed ‘Golden Generation’ of David Beckham and his teammates could not — a long-awaited international triumph. Michael Owen, a key member of that era, reflected on the campaigns that slipped away and the disappointment that still lingers from the 1990s and 2000s.

Owen’s breakthrough on the global stage came in 1998, when as an 18-year-old he became England’s youngest scorer at a major tournament. His spectacular goal against Argentina in the Round of 16 remains iconic, though the match ended in heartbreak after a penalty shootout loss, following David Beckham’s infamous red card that left England with ten men.

By the 2002 World Cup under Sven-Goran Eriksson, England boasted a glittering lineup featuring Owen, Beckham, Ashley Cole, and Steven Gerrard. However, Ronaldinho and Brazil ended their hopes once again. Two years later, the addition of Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney for Euro 2004 brought more agony, as Portugal knocked them out on penalties. Cristiano Ronaldo, famously winking after Rooney’s red card, played a part in another painful exit in 2006.

Asked which of those defeats hurt the most, Owen — who now serves as a UK ambassador for the online casino comparison platform Casino.org — told GOAL: “Oh God! I played in five major tournaments. The one where I think we had our strongest team — although I don’t lose sleep over it — was 2002 in Japan. We were beaten by the eventual winners, but that was a very, very good team.”

He continued: “We basically needed to get past one team. On the other side of the draw were Germany, who we had just beaten 5-1, along with Turkey and South Korea. It had opened up nicely, but we had Brazil in our path — the nightmare draw. I genuinely believe we were one game away from winning it.”

Looking back further, Owen said: “In 1998, everything that could go wrong did. We had a red card, lost on penalties, and had a legitimate goal ruled out against Argentina. We really should have advanced. Who knows how far we might have gone that year?”

He added: “In 2006, I got injured halfway through, so I don’t have strong feelings about that one. But even at Euro 2004, when we played Portugal, we should have won. Wazza [Rooney] got injured after 15 minutes. We were leading 1-0, and that could easily have been Greece in the final. That was another big missed chance.”

Owen concluded: “I’d say probably Portugal and Japan — those were the two tournaments I honestly think we could have won.”

In more recent times, Gareth Southgate came close to ending England’s drought, guiding the team to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final, achievements that earned him a knighthood. However, ultimate glory still eluded him.

Now, Thomas Tuchel has taken over the managerial reins. The former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss, a Champions League and domestic title winner, faces the challenge of leading England to long-awaited success. His selection for the 2026 World Cup has raised eyebrows, particularly with notable omissions such as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Yet Tuchel remains confident that he can succeed where the Golden Generation fell short, drawing motivation from their near misses and heartbreaks.