List of England national football team captains
This article lists all the captains of the England national men's football team.
The first England captain was Cuthbert Ottaway; he captained England in the first ever international match, against Scotland on 30 November 1872. He went on to captain England on just one further occasion, the third international match, on 7 March 1874, against the same opposition. Alexander Morten captained England in their first international on home soil, 8 March 1873 vs Scotland, and was the first international captain to win a match. This was his only international appearance.
Since then, Billy Wright went on to set the record for most captaincies of his country, with 90. Bobby Moore, who remains the only England captain to have lifted the World Cup, reached 90 captaincies in 1973, and shares the record with Wright.
List of captains
Captain chronology
| Tenure | Incumbent | Reserve captains |
| 1933 | ||
| 1934 | ||
| 1934–1939 | ,,, | |
| 1946–1948 | ||
| 1948–1959 | ||
| 1959–1960 | ||
| 1960–1962 | ||
| 1962–1964 | ||
| 1964–1973 | ,,,,, | |
| 1974 | ||
| 1975 | ||
| 1975–1976 | , | |
| 1976–1982 | ,,,,, | |
| 1982–1991 | ,,, | |
| 1990–1992 | Mark Wright, | |
| 1992–1993 | , | |
| 1993–1995 | , | |
| 1995–1996 | ||
| 1996–2000 | ,,,, | |
| 2000 | , | |
| 2000–2006 | ,,,,, | |
| 2006–2010 | ,, | |
| 2010–2011 | ,, | |
| 2011–2012 | , , | |
| 2012–2014 | ,,,, | |
| 2014–2017 | ,,,,,, | |
| 2017–2018 | ,,,, | |
| 2018–present | ,,,,, |
Captains by tournament
- Bold indicates tournament winners
- Italics indicates tournament hosts
| Player | Tournament | |
| ||
Captains by appearances as captain
Figures include all recognised matches up to 17 November 2019. The default order for this list is by most appearances as captain, then chronological order of first captaincy. Only confirmed captaincies are counted.- Bold indicates appointed captain of England
| # | Player | England career | Caps as captain | Total caps | First captaincy |
| 1 | ' | 1946–1959 | 90 | 105 | 9 October 1948 |
| 1 | ' | 1962–1973 | 90 | 108 | 29 May 1963 |
| 3 | ' | 1980–1991 | 65 | 90 | 17 November 1982 |
| 4 | ' | 1996–2009 | 59 | 115 | 15 November 2000 |
| 5 | ' | 2000–2014 | 38 | 114 | 31 March 2004 |
| 6 | ' | 1992–2000 | 34 | 63 | 1 September 1996 |
| 6 | ' | 2003–2012 | 34 | 78 | 16 August 2006 |
| 8 | ' | 1972–1982 | 31 | 63 | 24 March 1976 |
| 9 | ' | 2015–present | 25 | 45 | 10 June 2017 |
| 10 | ' | 2003–2018 | 23 | 120 | 14 November 2009 |
| 10 | ' | 1969–1980 | 23 | 62 | 11 March 1974 |
| 12 | 1902–1914 | 22 | 41 | 2 March 1903 | |
| 12 | ' | 1954–1962 | 22 | 56 | 15 May 1960 |
| 14 | 1933–1939 | 20 | 30 | 14 November 1934 | |
| 15 | ' | 1989–1996 | 19 | 62 | 17 February 1993 |
| 16 | ' | 1984–1992 | 18 | 80 | 12 September 1990 |
| 17 | ' | 1878–1887 | 15 | 19 | 12 March 1881 |
| 17 | ' | 1959–1966 | 15 | 43 | 28 September 1961 |
| 17 | ' | 1970–1990 | 15 | 125 | 25 May 1982 |
| 17 | ' | 1987–2000 | 15 | 66 | 12 October 1994 |
| 21 | 1903–1911 | 14 | 23 | 15 February 1908 | |
| 22 | 1893–1901 | 13 | 20 | 4 April 1896 | |
| 22 | ' | 1946–1948 | 13 | 13 | 28 September 1946 |
| 24 | 1926–1933 | 12 | 25 | 31 March 1928 | |
| 25 | 1976–1986 | 10 | 84 | 22 September 1982 | |
| 25 | ' | 1987–1999 | 10 | 78 | 8 June 1991 |
| 27 | 1925–1929 | 8 | 11 | 2 April 1927 | |
| 27 | ' | 1974–1976 | 8 | 12 | 3 September 1975 |
| 27 | 1972–1982 | 8 | 42 | 13 May 1978 | |
| 27 | 1998–2008 | 8 | 89 | 17 April 2002 | |
| 27 | 1999–2014 | 8 | 106 | 9 February 2011 | |
| 32 | 1921–1924 | 7 | 12 | 22 October 1921 | |
| 32 | 1980–1990 | 7 | 77 | 12 November 1986 | |
| 32 | 1992–2000 | 7 | 53 | 9 June 1993 | |
| 32 | ' | 1997–2011 | 7 | 81 | 26 March 2008 |
| 32 | 2010–present | 7 | 55 | 8 October 2016 | |
| 37 | 1934–1939 | 6 | 19 | 18 November 1936 | |
| 37 | 1965–1975 | 6 | 72 | 12 March 1975 | |
| 37 | 1976–1982 | 6 | 42 | 22 November 1979 | |
| 37 | 2015–present | 6 | 40 | 10 November 2017 | |
| 41 | 1885–1890 | 5 | 13 | 13 March 1886 | |
| 41 | 1926–1929 | 5 | 16 | 22 October 1928 | |
| 41 | 1955–1960 | 5 | 35 | 17 October 1959 | |
| 41 | 2010–2018 | 5 | 61 | 9 October 2015 | |
| 45 | 1886–1891 | 4 | 13 | 4 February 1888 | |
| 45 | 1904–1906 | 4 | 6 | 25 February 1905 | |
| 45 | 1922–1926 | 4 | 9 | 22 October 1924 | |
| 45 | 1924–1932 | 4 | 9 | 5 April 1930 | |
| 45 | 1928–1933 | 4 | 26 | 9 December 1931 | |
| 45 | 1927–1934 | 4 | 15 | 14 April 1934 | |
| 45 | 1966–1974 | 4 | 67 | 19 May 1971 | |
| 52 | 1888–1895 | 3 | 7 | 13 March 1893 | |
| 52 | 1897–1905 | 3 | 6 | 14 February 1903 | |
| 52 | 1920–1923 | 3 | 6 | 9 April 1921 | |
| 52 | 1923–1927 | 3 | 5 | 8 December 1924 | |
| 52 | 1920–1932 | 3 | 18 | 21 May 1925 | |
| 52 | 1930–1933 | 3 | 20 | 14 May 1931 | |
| 52 | 1936–1937 | 3 | 18 | 23 October 1937 | |
| 52 | 1948–1953 | 3 | 32 | 15 November 1950 | |
| 52 | 1955–1966 | 3 | 49 | 27 May 1964 | |
| 52 | 1958–1970 | 3 | 106 | 15 January 1969 | |
| 52 | 1974–1982 | 3 | 65 | 24 April 1981 | |
| 52 | 1996–2007 | 3 | 73 | 24 May 1998 | |
| 64 | 1872–1874 | 2 | 2 | 30 November 1872 | |
| 64 | 1879–1887 | 2 | 18 | 18 February 1882 | |
| 64 | 1888–1898 | 2 | 14 | 7 February 1891 | |
| 64 | 1883–1892 | 2 | 4 | 15 March 1892 | |
| 64 | 1891–1893 | 2 | 4 | 25 February 1893 | |
| 64 | 1889–1898 | 2 or 3 | 4 | 18 March 1895 | |
| 64 | 1907–1920 | 2 | 25 | 15 March 1920 | |
| 64 | 1913–1924 | 2 | 6 | 14 March 1921 | |
| 64 | 1923 | 2 | 2 | 21 May 1923 | |
| 64 | 1946–1949 | 2 | 19 | 16 May 1948 | |
| 64 | 1972–1977 | 2 | 46 | 28 May 1976 | |
| 64 | 2008–present | 2 | 75 | 13 November 2015 | |
| 64 | 2017–present | 2 | 26 | 7 September 2019 | |
| 77 | 1873 | 1 | 1 | 8 March 1873 | |
| 77 | 1875 | 1 | 1 | 6 March 1875 | |
| 77 | 1873–1878 | 1 | 5 | 4 March 1876 | |
| 77 | 1875–1877 | 1 | 2 | 3 March 1877 | |
| 77 | 1880–1884 | 1 or 2 | 6 | 2 March 1878 | |
| 77 | 1878–1879 | 1 or 2 | 3 | 5 April 1879 | |
| 77 | 1874–1880 | 1 | 4 | 13 March 1880 | |
| 77 | 1879–1880 | 1 | 3 | 15 March 1880 | |
| 77 | 1878–1882 | 1 | 7 | 26 February 1881 | |
| 77 | 1883 | 1 | 1 | 24 February 1883 | |
| 77 | 1889–1891 | 1 | 3 | 2 March 1889 | |
| 77 | 1888–1885 | 1 | 7 | 6 April 1891 | |
| 77 | 1892–1895 | 1 or 2 | 5 | 6 April 1895 | |
| 77 | 1895–1901 | 1 | 16 | 9 March 1901 | |
| 77 | 1894–1902 | 1 | 16 | 18 March 1901 | |
| 77 | 1900–1902 | 1 | 5 | 3 March 1902 | |
| 77 | 1898–1903 | 1 | 9 | 22 March 1902 | |
| 77 | 1895–1907 | 1 | 23 | 3 May 1902 | |
| 77 | 1919 | 1 | 1 | 25 October 1919 | |
| 77 | 1913–1920 | 1 | 5 | 23 October 1920 | |
| 77 | 1920–1923 | 1 | 5 | 21 May 1921 | |
| 77 | 1922 | 1 | 1 | 13 March 1922 | |
| 77 | 1923 | 1 | 1 | 1 November 1923 | |
| 77 | 1924 | 1 | 5 | 12 April 1924 | |
| 77 | 1925 | 1 | 1 | 24 October 1925 | |
| 77 | 1921–1926 | 1 | 3 | 24 May 1926 | |
| 77 | 1923–1929 | 1 | 9 | 21 May 1927 | |
| 77 | 1934–1936 | 1 | 11 | 17 October 1936 | |
| 77 | 1937–1939 | 1 | 12 | 24 May 1939 | |
| 77 | 1964–1971 | 1 | 35 | 3 February 1971 | |
| 77 | 1968–1975 | 1 | 48 | 23 May 1972 | |
| 77 | 1976–1980 | 1 | 27 | 31 May 1980 | |
| 77 | 1972–1983 | 1 | 61 | 12 May 1981 | |
| 77 | 1976–1983 | 1 | 50 | 2 June 1982 | |
| 77 | 1986–1996 | 1 | 59 | 13 February 1988 | |
| 77 | 1984–1996 | 1 | 45 | 21 May 1991 | |
| 77 | 1988–2003 | 1 | 75 | 10 September 1997 | |
| 77 | 1992–2002 | 1 | 43 | 11 September 2000 | |
| 77 | 2000–2012 | 1 | 53 | 29 March 2011 | |
| 77 | 2003–2013 | 1 | 11 | 29 February 2012 | |
| 77 | 2008–present | 1 | 40 | 12 October 2015 | |
| 77 | 2009–2016 | 1 | 61 | 29 March 2016 | |
| 77 | 2011–present | 1 | 31 | 27 May 2016 | |
| 77 | 2014–present | 1 | 20 | 15 November 2018 | |
| 77 | 2012–present | 1 | 56 | 7 June 2019 |