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David Beckham could help England steal a march on their rivals ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America

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David Beckham gave England fans some unforgettable World Cup moments without ever bringing home the trophy - but now he is trying to help the Class of 2026 take the final step. The former Three Lions captain played in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 editions of the tournament, experiencing some memorable highs and crushing lows. Who can forget Beckham's red card for kicking out at Argentina's Diego Simeone at France 98 - or his cathartic, match-winning penalty against the same opponents in Japan and Korea four years later?

'Goldenballs' is ranked no. 5 on Four Four Two's list of the best English midfielders ever but never went beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament with England, reaching the last eight under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2002 and 2006 following his red card during the second-round defeat in 1998. Since retiring in 2013, Beckham has invested in League Two side Salford City and MLS club Inter Miami - and it is his role as president and co-owner of the latter that could help England in North America next summer.

England booked their place at the World Cup with Tuesday's 5-0 win over Latvia, which sealed top spot in Group K and automatic qualification. And preparations for next summer's tournament are already well under way, with Sky Sports News football correspondent Rob Dorsett revealing that the FA are in touch with Beckham about using Inter Miami's base ahead of the finals. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Dorsett wrote on X: "FA in discussion with David Beckham and his reps about England possibly using his Inter Miami training centre as warm-weather base in the build up to the World Cup. With qualification now guaranteed, FA will ramp up their prep, tho no final decisions til the draw on Dec 5. " Inter Miami train at the Florida Blue Training Center, which has six natural grass fields and one turf field and sits next to the club's home ground, Chase Stadium, in Fort Lauderdale.

Acclimatising to the heat will be a big factor in what England can achieve at the tournament, with some kick-off times likely to be changed to prevent teams playing in high temperatures. The Three Lions will be aiming to end their 60-year wait for a major trophy, having reached successive European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate. James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for Four Four Two. He has spent the past three years as a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers and started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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