England Still Haunted by World Cup Heartbreak, Says Bukayo Saka

England have yet to fully shake off the disappointment of falling just short of a place in the World Cup final. Ahead of their new UEFA Nations League campaign, forward Bukayo Saka admitted that the pain of their semifinal defeat is still fresh.

England reached their first World Cup final in 1966 and went on to win the trophy that year. Since then, they have not returned to the tournament’s title decider.

At the most recent World Cup in North America, however, England came close once again. Considered one of the contenders for the title, they faced Argentina in the semifinal after building strong expectations around their campaign.

England took the lead but eventually suffered a 2-1 defeat, ending their hopes of reaching the final.

They responded in the third-place playoff by beating France 6-4 in a thrilling encounter, securing England’s best World Cup finish in six decades.

‘The Wound Is Still There’

Saka said the disappointment remains because the squad genuinely believed they could go all the way.

“Of course, the wound is still there. We believed in ourselves, we were united and very confident that we could do it. It wasn’t just us—the whole country felt it too.”

Despite the lingering disappointment, Saka believes England must now close that chapter and focus on the challenges ahead.

England Turn Their Attention to the Nations League

England will begin their Nations League campaign against reigning world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday. Croatia and Czechia are the other two teams in their group.

England face four demanding group matches as they look to progress to the knockout stage, and Saka says the team’s attention is now firmly on those fixtures.

“We want to close the chapter on the World Cup and move forward as quickly as possible. Our focus is now on the new international season.”

He acknowledged that overcoming such disappointment takes time.

“We try to forget everything and move forward as quickly as possible, but a wound is still a wound—it takes time to heal.”

For England, the Nations League now provides the first opportunity to begin a new chapter after their latest World Cup heartbreak.