‘We don’t want penalties’: Pickford backs England’s attacking approach

<p>Jordan Pickford has enjoyed shootout success but believes his England side can deliver World Cup glory without penalties</p><p>Jordan Pickford has pretty much seen it all since making his first England appearance at under-16 level in 2009. Although he experienced the embarrassment of conceding the only goal scored by a goalkeeper from open play at a Fifa World Cup match against Canada in the under-17 edition in Mexico two years later, the 32-year-old has more than made up for it.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/27/england-panama-world-cup-group-l-match-report">2-0 victory against Panama</a> on Saturday was the 29th major tournament England game in a row to feature Pickford as Thomas Tuchel’s side secured top spot in Group L to set up a meeting with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday. As the Everton goalkeeper is fully aware, things are about to get much more serious.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/28/jordan-pickford-england-world-cup-democratic-republic-congo">Continue reading...</a>