Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand jokingly demanded that fellow pundit Ashley Williams be removed from the BBC studio during the 2022 World Cup, after the ex-Welsh international omitted England from his forecast for the tournament's latter stages. The incident resurfaced as England advanced to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, surpassing their performance from four years ago.
Ferdinand's Reaction to Williams' Prediction
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as the knockout rounds approached, Ferdinand was discussing potential pathways to the final alongside Williams, Gary Lineker, and Alan Shearer. Ferdinand outlined a scenario involving Spain, Portugal, Brazil, and Argentina. Williams was then asked to assess the opposite half of the draw, which included England's quarter-final clash with France—a match England eventually lost 2-1.
Williams replied, "Then you've got France vs Spain," completely disregarding England. Ferdinand quickly interjected, "What? What are you talking about?" He then joked, "This is why Ashley shouldn't be in here," and demanded Williams be escorted out: "He should be gone now, take him out."
England's 2026 World Cup Run
England have since surpassed their 2022 performance, reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup following a 2-1 victory over Norway on Saturday evening. Jude Bellingham was the match-winner with two goals. Ferdinand, who initially predicted France or Spain would win the tournament, has revised his opinion after seeing Thomas Tuchel's side reach the final four.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand said, "I think we do [win the World Cup]. When the chips are down and things aren't going well, England are working things out. It's like a jigsaw puzzle and we're showing we're able to find the right piece at the right time. I think that's one of the things we have over the others. Argentina have managed to do that a couple of times but they've looked closer to going out than we have."
Bellingham's Performance and Ferdinand's Praise
Despite Bellingham's standout performances, Ferdinand was reluctant to award him man of the match against Norway, instead praising Elliot Anderson. Ferdinand explained, "Yeah, I thought Anderson. Elliot Anderson, I thought, was great. I can make very good arguments that you might not win the game without either of their performances and impact moments, so you need the blend of both." He added, "But listen, there's no doubt in my mind, if Jude gets man of the match then he deserves it. He's a match-winner... I'm saying it with my chest, yes, Jude Bellingham is the best England player that we've had in tournament football since 1966, any tournaments."
