England has failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals on three occasions: 1974, 1978, and 1994. They did not enter the first three World Cups (1930, 1934, 1938) as they were not FIFA members. Since their debut in 1950, these three tournaments are the only ones they missed qualifying for. They successfully qualified for the recent 2026 World Cup. Key failed qualifications:
- 1974 (West Germany World Cup)
- 1978 (Argentina World Cup)
- 1994 (United States World Cup)
Since then, England has consistently qualified for the World Cup tournaments.
