Philadelphia Sixers center Joel Embiid says England will choke again at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite having a top collection of talented players.
He praised England’s pool of players saying they are arguably the best team technically but like previous editions of the World Cup, they will choke in the big tournament.
Embiid stated this in an interview during the Sixers media day ahead of the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season. Cameroon born- American basketball player Embiid, is a big football fan and is looking forward to watching as many games as possible at next year’s World Cup which will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
“I want to go to as many games as possible [at the World Cup]. France has had the best team, I think Spain’s got a chance obviously.”
“England are going to choke again; that happens every single time. Technically, they’ve got the best team…as far as talent on paper” Embiid said.
The seven foot center is recovering from surgery on a knee injury and his return date is yet to be determined. Scroll down to watch Embiid’s interview.
“England are going to choke again” 😮
The Three Lions are on the brink of World Cup qualification, but Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid doesn’t rate their chances next summer… pic.twitter.com/sOZjnFsOIh
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 2, 2025
