Declan Rice has confirmed that the current England team is the closest to replicating the achievement of the 1966 World Cup winners, stressing that this generation is the best in many years, after finishing their journey in the 2026 World Cup in third place following a victory over France.

England ended their participation in the 2026 World Cup in third place, after beating France 6-4 on Saturday evening in the third-place match, achieving their best result in the tournament since winning the title at Wembley Stadium 60 years ago under Sir Alf Ramsey.

Although England's journey in the United States, Canada, and Mexico may be remembered for the disappointing semi-final exit against Argentina, Rice, who scored a brilliant goal against France, expressed optimism about the team's future.

Rice said in statements to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): "This is the best England team in a very long time, and that's a fact, and no one can take that away from us."

He added: "I think we should be proud as a group, but we are still very sad about losing that match in the semi-final."

He continued: "We've grown tired of talking about being proud to reach the semi-finals or quarter-finals; we ultimately want to win with England. But finishing this tournament in third place is a real achievement."

He went on: "We are very close, really. There has been a lot of talk about this group over the past few years after being knocked out of tournaments. There have been losses in the semi-finals, quarter-finals, and the final."

Rice concluded: "I think we need to keep going. I truly believe we are close. Football is decided by small details, and last night we lost because of those details, inside the penalty areas."

England was just minutes away from reaching the final, before Argentina scored two goals from the 85th minute onwards through Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez, securing their place in the final at the expense of the English.