The England XI won Soccer Aid 2026, featuring several players who were key to their victory against the World XI, both offensively and defensively.
Jermain Defoe and Angry Ginge shine during England Eleven’s Soccer Aid win over World Eleven (Image: (Photo by James Marsh/Shutterstock))
England Eleven regained the Soccer Aid trophy with a 3-2 victory over World Eleven at the London Stadium. Damson Idris took the lead with a stunning shot with the outside of his right foot after receiving a through ball from Jermain Defoe.
The latter then became a goalscorer, scoring two goals in just a few minutes, making him Soccer Aid’s outright top goalscorer. Michael Essien pulled one back for the world No. 11 with a powerful right-footed shot from 25 yards.
Tim Cahill’s late header made for a tense end to the game, but England were able to pull through. Based on the above, below is how we evaluated all players.
England national team eleven player ratings
Joe Hart – Made two smart saves early on to deny Naburn Rizwan. He was good at keeping a clean sheet until he was replaced by Joe Marler in the second half. 8
Owen Cooper – Made a great shift at right-back with a strong tackle and an interception, but was probably lucky not to give away a penalty. 8
Angry Zinji – Rarely off his feet, putting his body on the line and denying several shots on goal. He also pulled off a goal line clearance to prevent World Eleven from scoring an early tying goal. 9
Joleon Lescott – Showed his Premier League quality throughout, stopping a goal with a great interception. 8
Sam Thompson – Struggling early on, but recovered well and stopped many attacks on his teammates. 7
Jack Wilshere – Links up with Rooney in midfield. He stole the ball high up the pitch, leading to the opening goal. After Rooney was sent off, they controlled the tempo in the second half. 8
Tom Grennan – Didn’t look too out of place alongside former Premier League stars. He made several strong attacks forward, but also contributed defensively. 7
Damson Idris – Scored a great goal to give England Eleven the lead in the first half. He also scored many shots in front of the goal, and was always a threat at the back. 8
Wayne Rooney – Led the show in the first half. He forced Van der Sar into a fingertip save just before the interval. 8
Toni Duggan – Had a bright moment on the left wing before being substituted. 7
Jermain Defoe – Picked out Idris from Akers space for the goal. Adding another assist with two quick-fire chips made him SoccerAid’s outright top goalscorer. 9
Substitute:
Joe Marler – Spilled a cross early on, but did well to thwart Maisie Adam’s attempt from that mistake. They made some great saves to recover after that, but they could have done better from Cahill’s goal. 6
Paddy McGuinness – Introduced for his 10th Soccer Aid appearance with two minutes remaining. Not applicable.
Danny Dyer – came on just after half-time and easily fended off pressure from Lukas Podolski. 7
Theo Walcott – Unlucky not to double England XI’s lead with a powerful shot from range that was tipped over by Chris O’Dowd. He missed two good chances in the final knock. 6
Jill Scott – Arrived late to the stadium and helped England see victory in midfield. He scored a number of important headers. 7
Shaun Wright-Phillips – Had a shot on goal in the second half, but his shot from close range was blocked. 6
Tom Hiddleston – came on midway through the first half but failed to make an impact in his 21 minutes on the pitch. 7
Jordan North – Came on as a left-back in the second half and did well. 7
Olly Murs – Came on as a right-back in the 45th minute of the second half and helped the team. 7
Jade Moore – came on in the first half and assisted Defoe’s opening goal. 7
Alex Brooker – Substituted for Chloe Burrows in the final minutes. Not applicable
Chloe Burrows – Should have assisted after a great ball into Theo Walcott, but he sent his shot wide. 7
Goalkeeper Barry – Hilariously caught off guard by having the ball handed to her while interacting with the crowd. Then a pass to Tom Grennan was intercepted and he won the ball. 6
Jack Whitehall – Didn’t seem lethargic after returning from Budapest, but perhaps he should have contacted Essien sooner before the goal. 7
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
World Eleven player evaluation
Edwin van der Sar – Couldn’t stop Idris from attacking, but made a great save in the second half to deny former United teammate Rooney. 7
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – Sent off just past the halfway mark of the first 45 points. Another player will definitely be replaced, albeit briefly. 7
Richard Gadd – He played well as a centre-back with his impressive sliding tackle that thwarted attacks. 7
Nemanja Matic – tried to get the world eleven up the pitch if possible with a few solid forward passes. 8
Jordi Alba – From left-back he came well forward and delivered a great ball into the box. 7
Jen Beattie – Played the first 30 minutes and saw a long-range shot go wide. 7
Dermot Kennedy – Played directly behind Essien and screened the back four well. I went forward and took some shots, but they were all blocked. 7
Bezinga – Had a great chance to score in the first half but couldn’t get the shot past Joe Hart. But it went up and down the right side very impressively. 7
Michael Essien – Was all over the pitch in the first half. He hit a long-range shot over the bar. He scored a great goal from long range. 8
Navhan Rizwan – Forced Joe Hart to make two saves early on. They were always a threat in the first half. 7
Dimitar Berbatov – showed good footwork but was frustrated as appeals for fouls and handballs were brushed aside. 7
substitute
Chris O’Dowd – Made a great save in the second half to deny Theo Walcott. 8
Tim Cahill – Won a free kick early on and crossed home late in the second period. 7
Lukas Podolski – Was introduced at half-time and missed two big chances. In the final stages, he rattled the crossbar with a fierce left-footed shot. 7
Ali Krieger – Played the final 15 minutes of the first half and looked to advance. 6
Nicky Byrne – came on in the second half and helped the World Eleven find their way back into the game. 6
Frankie Dettori – Submitted in the final seven minutes. Not applicable.
Nitro – Came on as a substitute in the first half and posed a threat on the right side with his light pace. 7
Simon Neil – Briefly played in defense in the second half. 7
Tobi Brown – Submitted in the final stages as the World Eleven were looking for an equalizer. Not applicable.
Maisie Adam – Almost scored right after coming on, but her shot was cleared on the line. 7
Molly McCann – came on 10 minutes into the second half. He was always a nuisance on the right. 7
