# List of England national football team captains

155 people have officially served as captains of the England national football teams. The current captains are Harry Kane (men's) and Leah Williamson (women's).
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, also against Scotland, and was the first international captain to win a match. Having previously played for Scotland against England, this was his only international appearance for England. Morten remains England's oldest captain.
The first unofficial women's international match was contested by England and France in 1920, with the Dick, Kerr Ladies "England" side captained by Alice Kell. The England women's team was authorised in 1972 by the Women's Football Association (WFA), originally unaffiliated with the Football Association (FA), and had Sheila Parker as its first captain. The official England women's first international match was played against Scotland on 18 November 1972, in anticipation of the centenary of the equivalent men's match. Parker remained in her role for four years before being left out of the 1976 British Home Championship; her replacement, Carol Thomas (née McCune), was only 20 when she took the armband, and retained it for nearly a decade. Women's players between 1972 and 1993 were not all officially recognised until 2022; there were also several prior to 1972, who were not sanctioned and are not recognised. Thomas is England's youngest official captain under the WFA; Keira Walsh is England's youngest official captain under the FA; Carol Wilson and Casey Stoney unofficially served as captains when younger than Thomas and Walsh.
Billy Wright set the record for most captaincies of his country in 1959, with 90. Bobby Moore, who remains England's youngest men's captain and the only England captain to have lifted the World Cup, reached 90 captaincies in 1973, sharing the record with Wright. Steph Houghton has the record for captaincies of the women's team, and outright fourth-most caps as captain (72) behind Wright and Moore, and Kane. Seven male players were captain in their only international cap, the last of these being in 1925.
Several women's matches have seen two players start as co-captains. The most players known to wear the captain's armband for England in one match is four, which has happened twice. On 3 June 2003, Michael Owen started as captain before Emile Heskey took over at half time, Phil Neville replaced him in the sixty-first minute, and Jamie Carragher was handed the armband in the eighty-seventh. On 30 November 2021, Millie Bright started as captain before Ellen White took over at half time, Keira Walsh replaced her in the sixtieth minute, and Alex Greenwood took the armband in the seventy-first.

## Men's team
### Captain chronology

* Bold indicates current captain
* Italics indicates still-active players
* Source unless specified:
| Tenure | Incumbent | Incumbent | Reserve captains |
| 1872–1874 | | Cuthbert Ottaway | |
| 1873 | Alexander Morten | Alexander Morten | |
| 1875 | | Charles W. Alcock | |
| 1876 | Hubert Heron | Hubert Heron | |
| 1877 | William Rawson | William Rawson | |
| 1878–1879 | Arthur Cursham | Arthur Cursham | |
| 1879 | Henry Wace | Henry Wace | |
| 1880 | Charles Wollaston | Charles Wollaston | |
| 1880 | Francis Sparks | Francis Sparks | |
| 1881 | Jack Hunter | Jack Hunter | |
| 1881–1887 | Norman Bailey | Norman Bailey | Charles Bambridge, Jack Hudson, Percy Walters |
| 1888 | | Tinsley Lindley | |
| 1889–1890 | | Percy Walters | Jack Brodie |
| 1890 | | Arthur Walters | |
| 1891 | Tinsley Lindley | Tinsley Lindley | |
| 1891 | | John Goodall | |
| 1891 | | Billy Moon | |
| 1892 | Arthur Dunn | Arthur Dunn | |
| 1893 | George Cotterill | George Cotterill | Bob Holmes |
| 1894 | | Bob Holmes | |
| 1894 | John Goodall | John Goodall | |
| 1895 | Bob Holmes | Bob Holmes | |
| 1895 | | Charles Wreford-Brown | |
| 1895 | | R. Cunliffe Gosling | |
| 1896–1901 | | G. O. Smith | Charles Wreford-Brown, William Oakley, Ernest Needham |
| 1902 | | R. E. Foster | |
| 1902 | | Frank Forman | |
| 1902 | | Steve Bloomer | |
| 1903 | | Howard Spencer | |
| 1903–1904 | | Bob Crompton | |
| 1905 | Stan Harris | Stan Harris | |
| 1905 | | Howard Spencer | |
| 1906 | Stan Harris | Stan Harris | |
| 1907 | Bob Crompton | Bob Crompton | |
| 1908–1910 | | Vivian Woodward | Bob Crompton |
| 1910–1914 | Bob Crompton | Bob Crompton | Vivian Woodward |
| 1914–1918: World War I ||||
| 1919 | Arthur Knight | Arthur Knight | |
| 1920 | | Jesse Pennington | |
| 1920 | Joe McCall | Joe McCall | |
| 1921 | | Charlie Buchan | |
| 1921 | | Arthur Grimsdell | |
| 1921 | Ephraim Longworth | Ephraim Longworth | |
| 1921–1922 | George Wilson | George Wilson | Max Woosnam |
| 1922–1923 | Arthur Grimsdell | Arthur Grimsdell | |
| 1923–1924 | George Wilson | George Wilson | Charlie Buchan, Basil Patchitt, Graham Doggart, Frank Moss |
| 1924 | Sam Wadsworth | Sam Wadsworth | |
| 1924–1925 | Alfred Bower | Alfred Bower | |
| 1925–1926 | Sam Wadsworth | Sam Wadsworth | Billy Walker, Claude Ashton, Tommy Lucas |
| 1927 | Alfred Bower | Alfred Bower | |
| 1927 | Jack Hill | Jack Hill | Fred Kean |
| 1928 | Roy Goodall | Roy Goodall | |
| 1928–1929 | Willis Edwards | Willis Edwards | |
| 1929 | Jack Hill | Jack Hill | |
| 1929 | Willis Edwards | Willis Edwards | |
| 1930 | | David Jack | |
| 1930–1931 | Roy Goodall | Roy Goodall | Alf Strange |
| 1931–1933 | Ernie Blenkinsop | Ernie Blenkinsop | David Jack, Billy Walker |
| 1933 | Roy Goodall | Roy Goodall | |
| 1934 | | Tom Cooper | |
| 1934–1939 | | Eddie Hapgood | Jack Barker, George Male, Sam Barkas, Stan Cullis |
| 1939–1945: World War II ||||
| 1946–1948 | | George Hardwick | Frank Swift |
| 1948–1959 | | Billy Wright | Alf Ramsey |
| 1959–1960 | | Ronnie Clayton | |
| 1960–1962 | | Johnny Haynes | Jimmy Armfield |
| 1962–1964 | | Jimmy Armfield | Bobby Moore |
| 1964–1973 | | Bobby Moore | Ron Flowers, Jimmy Armfield, Bobby Charlton, Alan Mullery, Martin Peters, Colin Bell |
| 1974 | | Emlyn Hughes | |
| 1975 | | Alan Ball | |
| 1975–1976 | Gerry Francis | Gerry Francis | Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon |
| 1976–1982 | | Kevin Keegan | Emlyn Hughes, Mick Mills, Phil Thompson, Trevor Cherry, Ray Clemence, Peter Shilton |
| 1982–1991 | | Bryan Robson | Ray Wilkins, Peter Shilton, Terry Butcher, Peter Beardsley |
| 1990–1992 | | Gary Lineker | Mark Wright, Stuart Pearce |
| 1992–1993 | | Stuart Pearce | Paul Ince, David Platt |
| 1993–1995 | | David Platt | Paul Ince, Tony Adams |
| 1995–1996 | | Tony Adams | Alan Shearer |
| 1996–2000 | | Alan Shearer | Stuart Pearce, Paul Ince, David Seaman, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell |
| 2000 | Tony Adams | Tony Adams | Sol Campbell, Martin Keown |
| 2000–2006 | | David Beckham | Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard |
| 2006–2010 | | John Terry | Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham |
| 2010–2011 | | Rio Ferdinand | Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry |
| 2011–2012 | John Terry | John Terry | Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Scott Parker |
| 2012–2014 | | Steven Gerrard | Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Barry |
| 2014–2017 | | Wayne Rooney | Gary Cahill, Joe Hart, Phil Jagielka, James Milner, Chris Smalling, Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane |
| 2017–2018 | | Jordan Henderson | Gary Cahill, Joe Hart, Harry Kane, Eric Dier |
| 2018–present | | Harry Kane | Jordan Henderson, Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Raheem Sterling, Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier, Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, John Stones |

### Captains by tournament

* Bold indicates tournament winners
* Italics indicates tournament hosts
* Source:
| Player | Tournament(s) |
| Billy Wright | 1950 FIFA World Cup 1954 FIFA World Cup 1958 FIFA World Cup |
| Johnny Haynes | 1962 FIFA World Cup |
| Bobby Moore | 1966 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 1968 1970 FIFA World Cup |
| Kevin Keegan | UEFA Euro 1980 |
| Mick Mills | 1982 FIFA World Cup |
| Bryan Robson | 1986 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 1988 1990 FIFA World Cup |
| Gary Lineker | UEFA Euro 1992 |
| Tony Adams | UEFA Euro 1996 |
| Alan Shearer | 1998 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 2000 |
| David Beckham | 2002 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 2004 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| Steven Gerrard | 2010 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 2012 2014 FIFA World Cup |
| Wayne Rooney | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| Harry Kane | 2018 FIFA World Cup 2018–19 UEFA Nations League UEFA Euro 2020 2020–21 UEFA Nations League 2022–23 UEFA Nations League 2022 FIFA World Cup UEFA Euro 2024 |

## Women's team
### Captain chronology

* Bold indicates current captain
* Italics indicates still-active players
* indicates player was captain for matches under the Women's Football Association
| Tenure | Incumbent | Incumbent | Reserve captains |
| 1972–1976 | Sheila Parker | Sheila Parker | |
| 1976– | | Carol Thomas (née McCune) | |
| 1983: WFA becomes a "County Association" of The Football Association ||||
| –1985 | Carol Thomas (née McCune) | Carol Thomas (née McCune) | |
| 1985– | | Debbie Bampton | |
| 1990– | Gillian Coultard | Gillian Coultard | |
| 1993: The team becomes incorporated into The Football Association ||||
| –1997 | Debbie Bampton | Debbie Bampton | |
| –2000 | Gillian Coultard | Gillian Coultard | |
| 2000–2001 | Mo Marley | Mo Marley | |
| 2001–2002 | | Tara Proctor | Karen Walker, Faye White |
| 2002–2003 | | Karen Walker | Mary Phillip |
| 2002–2012 | | Faye White | Mary Phillip, Kelly Smith, Fara Williams, Casey Stoney, Rachel Yankey |
| 2012–2014 | | Casey Stoney | Rachel Yankey, Alex Scott, Steph Houghton, Fara Williams, Laura Bassett |
| 2014–2022 | | Steph Houghton | Fara Williams, Karen Bardsley, Jordan Nobbs, Jill Scott, Ellen White, Laura Bassett, Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Toni Duggan, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson |
| 2022–present | | Leah Williamson | Millie Bright, Ellen White, Steph Houghton, Alex Greenwood, Mary Earps, Keira Walsh |

### Captains by tournament

* Bold indicates tournament winners
* Italics indicates tournament hosts
| Player | Tournament(s) |
| Carol Thomas (née McCune) | 1979 European Competition for Women's Football 1981 Mundialito 1984 European Competition for Women's Football 1984 Mundialito 1985 Mundialito |
| Debbie Bampton | 1987 European Competition for Women's Football 1988 Mundialito |
| Gillian Coultard | UEFA Women's Euro 1995 |
| Debbie Bampton | 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| Gillian Coultard | 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| Mo Marley | UEFA Women's Euro 2001 |
| Tara Proctor | UEFA Women's Euro 2001 |
| Faye White | UEFA Women's Euro 2005 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA Women's Euro 2009 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| Casey Stoney | UEFA Women's Euro 2013 |
| Steph Houghton | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup UEFA Women's Euro 2017 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| Leah Williamson | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 2023 Women's Finalissima |
| Millie Bright | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League |

## Captains by appearances as captain

Figures include all recognised matches up to match played 3 December 2024. Only confirmed captaincies of named captains are counted.
The default order for this list is by most appearances as captain, then chronological order of first captaincy.
* Bold indicates permanent captain of England
* Italics indicates still-active players
* Sources unless specified:
| # | Player | England career | Caps as captain | Total caps | First captaincy |
| 1 | Billy Wright | 1946–1959 | 90 | 105 | 9 October 1948 |
| 1 | Bobby Moore | 1962–1973 | 90 | 108 | 29 May 1963 |
| 3 | Harry Kane | 2015–present | 78 | 103 | 10 June 2017 |
| 4 | Steph Houghton | 2007–2022 | 72 | 121 | 17 January 2014 |
| 5 | Bryan Robson | 1980–1991 | 65 | 90 | 17 November 1982 |
| 6 | David Beckham | 1996–2009 | 59 | 115 | 15 November 2000 |
| 7 | Carol Thomas (née McCune) | 1976–1985 | 49–51 | 56 | 22 May 1976 |
| 8 | Faye White | 1997–2012 | 48 | 90 | 7 March 2002 |
| 9 | Gillian Coultard | 1981–2000 | 38+ | 119 | 25 November 1990 |
| 9 | Steven Gerrard | 2000–2014 | 38 | 114 | 31 March 2004 |
| 11 | Alan Shearer | 1992–2000 | 34 | 63 | 1 September 1996 |
| 11 | John Terry | 2003–2012 | 34 | 78 | 16 August 2006 |
| 13 | Kevin Keegan | 1972–1982 | 31 | 63 | 24 March 1976 |
| 14 | Leah Williamson | 2018–present | 30 | 51 | 17 September 2021 |
| 15 | Debbie Bampton | 1978–1997 | 26+ | 95 | 22 September 1985 |
| 16 | Wayne Rooney | 2003–2018 | 23 | 120 | 14 November 2009 |
| 16 | Emlyn Hughes | 1969–1980 | 23 | 62 | 11 March 1974 |
| 18 | Bob Crompton | 1902–1914 | 22 | 41 | 2 March 1903 |
| 18 | Johnny Haynes | 1954–1962 | 22 | 56 | 15 May 1960 |
| 20 | Eddie Hapgood | 1933–1939 | 20 | 30 | 14 November 1934 |
| 20 | Millie Bright | 2016–present | 20 | 84 | 13 April 2021 |
| 22 | David Platt | 1989–1996 | 19 | 62 | 17 February 1993 |
| 22 | Casey Stoney | 2000–2017 | 19 | 130 | 7 March 2009 |
| 24 | Gary Lineker | 1984–1992 | 18 | 80 | 12 September 1990 |
| 25 | Mary Phillip | 1995–2008 | 17+ | 65 | 17 May 2003 |
| 26 | Norman Bailey | 1878–1887 | 15 | 19 | 12 March 1881 |
| 26 | Jimmy Armfield | 1959–1966 | 15 | 43 | 28 September 1961 |
| 26 | Peter Shilton | 1970–1990 | 15 | 125 | 25 May 1982 |
| 26 | Tony Adams | 1987–2000 | 15 | 66 | 12 October 1994 |
| 30 | Viv Woodward | 1903–1911 | 14 | 23 | 15 February 1908 |
| 31 | G. O. Smith | 1893–1901 | 13–16 | 20 | 4 April 1896 |
| 31 | George Hardwick | 1946–1948 | 13 | 13 | 28 September 1946 |
| 33 | Roy Goodall | 1926–1933 | 12 | 25 | 31 March 1928 |
| 34 | Sheila Parker | 1972–1983 | 11 | 33 | 18 November 1972 |
| 34 | Fara Williams | 2001–2019 | 11 | 172 | 5 March 2009 |
| 36 | Ray Wilkins | 1976–1986 | 10 | 84 | 22 September 1982 |
| 36 | Stuart Pearce | 1987–1999 | 10 | 78 | 8 June 1991 |
| 38 | Jordan Henderson | 2010–present | 9 | 81 | 8 October 2016 |
| 39 | Jack Hill | 1925–1929 | 8 | 11 | 2 April 1927 |
| 39 | Gerry Francis | 1974–1976 | 8 | 12 | 3 September 1975 |
| 39 | Mick Mills | 1972–1982 | 8 | 42 | 13 May 1978 |
| 39 | Michael Owen | 1998–2008 | 8 | 89 | 17 April 2002 |
| 39 | Frank Lampard | 1999–2014 | 8 | 106 | 9 February 2011 |
| 44 | George Wilson | 1921–1924 | 7 | 12 | 22 October 1921 |
| 44 | Terry Butcher | 1980–1990 | 7 | 77 | 12 November 1986 |
| 44 | Paul Ince | 1992–2000 | 7 | 53 | 9 June 1993 |
| 44 | Rio Ferdinand | 1997–2011 | 7 | 81 | 26 March 2008 |
| 44 | Eric Dier | 2015–2022 | 7 | 49 | 10 November 2017 |
| 49 | George Male | 1934–1939 | 6 | 19 | 18 November 1936 |
| 49 | Alan Ball | 1965–1975 | 6 | 72 | 12 March 1975 |
| 49 | Phil Thompson | 1976–1982 | 6 | 42 | 22 November 1979 |
| 52 | Percy Walters | 1885–1890 | 5 | 13 | 13 March 1886 |
| 52 | Willis Edwards | 1926–1929 | 5 | 16 | 22 October 1928 |
| 52 | Ronnie Clayton | 1955–1960 | 5 | 35 | 17 October 1959 |
| 52 | Mo Marley | 1995–2001 | 5 | 41 | 4 June 2000 |
| 52 | Gary Cahill | 2010–2018 | 5 | 61 | 9 October 2015 |
| 52 | Jill Scott | 2006–2022 | 5 | 161 | 27 October 2015 |
| 52 | Lucy Bronze | 2013–present | 5 | 127 | 1 March 2018 |
| 52 | Harry Maguire | 2017–present | 5 | 64 | 7 September 2019 |
| 60 | Tinsley Lindley | 1886–1891 | 4 | 13 | 4 February 1888 |
| 60 | Stanley Harris | 1904–1906 | 4 | 6 | 25 February 1905 |
| 60 | Sam Wadsworth | 1922–1926 | 4 | 9 | 22 October 1924 |
| 60 | David Jack | 1924–1932 | 4 | 9 | 5 April 1930 |
| 60 | Ernie Blenkinsop | 1928–1933 | 4 | 26 | 9 December 1931 |
| 60 | Thomas Cooper | 1927–1934 | 4 | 15 | 14 April 1934 |
| 60 | Martin Peters | 1966–1974 | 4 | 67 | 19 May 1971 |
| 60 | Tara Proctor | 1995–2002 | 4 | 20 | 30 June 2001 |
| 60 | Kelly Smith | 1995–2014 | 4 | 117 | 28 September 2008 |
| 69 | Robert Holmes | 1888–1895 | 3 | 7 | 13 March 1893 |
| 69 | Howard Spencer | 1897–1905 | 3 | 6 | 14 February 1903 |
| 69 | Arthur Grimsdell | 1920–1923 | 3 | 6 | 9 April 1921 |
| 69 | Alfred Bower | 1923–1927 | 3 | 5 | 8 December 1924 |
| 69 | Billy Walker | 1920–1932 | 3 | 18 | 21 May 1925 |
| 69 | Alfred Strange | 1930–1933 | 3 | 20 | 14 May 1931 |
| 69 | Sam Barkas | 1936–1937 | 3 | 18 | 23 October 1937 |
| 69 | Alf Ramsey | 1948–1953 | 3 | 32 | 15 November 1950 |
| 69 | Ron Flowers | 1955–1966 | 3 | 49 | 27 May 1964 |
| 69 | Bobby Charlton | 1958–1970 | 3 | 106 | 15 January 1969 |
| 69 | David V. Watson | 1974–1982 | 3 | 65 | 24 April 1981 |
| 69 | Sol Campbell | 1996–2007 | 3 | 73 | 24 May 1998 |
| 69 | Karen Walker | 1988–2003 | 3 | 83 | 24 February 2002 |
| 69 | Ellen White | 2010–2022 | 3 | 113 | 1 July 2017 |
| 69 | Keira Walsh | 2017–present | 3 | 80 | 4 September 2018 |
| 69 | Mary Earps | 2017–present | 3 | 52 | 1 July 2023 |
| 69 | Kyle Walker | 2011–present | 3 | 93 | 20 November 2023 |
| 86 | Cuthbert Ottaway | 1872–1874 | 2 | 2 | 30 November 1872 |
| 86 | Charles Bambridge | 1879–1887 | 2 | 18 | 18 February 1882 |
| 86 | John Goodall | 1888–1898 | 2 | 14 | 7 February 1891 |
| 86 | Arthur Dunn | 1883–1892 | 2 | 4 | 15 March 1892 |
| 86 | George Cotterill | 1891–1893 | 2 | 4 | 25 February 1893 |
| 86 | Charles Wreford-Brown | 1889–1898 | 2 or 3 | 4 | 18 March 1895 |
| 86 | Jesse Pennington | 1907–1920 | 2 | 25 | 15 March 1920 |
| 86 | Charlie Buchan | 1913–1924 | 2 | 6 | 14 March 1921 |
| 86 | Basil Patchitt | 1923 | 2 | 2 | 21 May 1923 |
| 86 | Frank Swift | 1946–1949 | 2 | 19 | 16 May 1948 |
| 86 | Mick Channon | 1972–1977 | 2 | 46 | 28 May 1976 |
| 86 | Rachel Yankey | 1997–2013 | 2 | 129 | 29 July 2010 |
| 86 | Laura Bassett | 2003–2017 | 2 | 63 | 7 March 2014 |
| 86 | Jordan Nobbs | 2013–present | 2 | 71 | 11 March 2015 |
| 86 | Joe Hart | 2008–2017 | 2 | 75 | 13 November 2015 |
| 86 | Raheem Sterling | 2012–2022 | 2 | 82 | 7 June 2019 |
| 86 | Kieran Trippier | 2017–present | 2 | 54 | 8 October 2020 |
| 86 | Alex Greenwood | 2014–present | 2 | 96 | 19 February 2023 |
| 104 | Alexander Morten | 1873 | 1 | 1 | 8 March 1873 |
| 104 | Charles W. Alcock | 1875 | 1 | 1 | 6 March 1875 |
| 104 | Hubert Heron | 1873–1878 | 1 | 5 | 4 March 1876 |
| 104 | William Rawson | 1875–1877 | 1 | 2 | 3 March 1877 |
| 104 | Arthur Cursham | 1880–1884 | 1 or 2 | 6 | 2 March 1878 |
| 104 | Henry Wace | 1878–1879 | 1 or 2 | 3 | 5 April 1879 |
| 104 | Charles Wollaston | 1874–1880 | 1 | 4 | 13 March 1880 |
| 104 | Francis Sparks | 1879–1880 | 1 | 3 | 15 March 1880 |
| 104 | Jack Hunter | 1878–1882 | 1 | 7 | 26 February 1881 |
| 104 | John Hudson | 1883 | 1 | 1 | 24 February 1883 |
| 104 | John Brodie | 1889–1891 | 1 | 3 | 2 March 1889 |
| 104 | Arthur Walters | 1885–1890 | 1 | 9 | 5 April 1890 |
| 104 | Billy Moon | 1888–1885 | 1 | 7 | 6 April 1891 |
| 104 | R. Cunliffe Gosling | 1892–1895 | 1 or 2 | 5 | 6 April 1895 |
| 104 | William Oakley | 1895–1901 | 1 | 16 | 9 March 1901 |
| 104 | Ernest Needham | 1894–1902 | 1 | 16 | 18 March 1901 |
| 104 | Reginald Foster | 1900–1902 | 1 | 5 | 3 March 1902 |
| 104 | Frank Forman | 1898–1903 | 1 | 9 | 22 March 1902 |
| 104 | Stephen Bloomer | 1895–1907 | 1 or 2 | 23 | 3 May 1902 |
| 104 | Arthur Knight | 1919 | 1 | 1 | 25 October 1919 |
| 104 | Joseph McCall | 1913–1920 | 1 | 5 | 23 October 1920 |
| 104 | Ephraim Longworth | 1920–1923 | 1 | 5 | 21 May 1921 |
| 104 | Max Woosnam | 1922 | 1 | 1 | 13 March 1922 |
| 104 | Graham Doggart | 1923 | 1 | 1 | 1 November 1923 |
| 104 | Frank Moss | 1924 | 1 | 5 | 12 April 1924 |
| 104 | Claude Ashton | 1925 | 1 | 1 | 24 October 1925 |
| 104 | Tommy Lucas | 1921–1926 | 1 | 3 | 24 May 1926 |
| 104 | Fred Kean | 1923–1929 | 1 | 9 | 21 May 1927 |
| 104 | Jack Barker | 1934–1936 | 1 | 11 | 17 October 1936 |
| 104 | Stan Cullis | 1937–1939 | 1 | 12 | 24 May 1939 |
| 104 | Alan Mullery | 1964–1971 | 1 | 35 | 3 February 1971 |
| 104 | Colin Bell | 1968–1975 | 1 | 48 | 23 May 1972 |
| 104 | Trevor Cherry | 1976–1980 | 1 | 27 | 31 May 1980 |
| 104 | Ray Clemence | 1972–1983 | 1 | 61 | 12 May 1981 |
| 104 | Phil Neal | 1976–1983 | 1 | 50 | 2 June 1982 |
| 104 | Peter Beardsley | 1986–1996 | 1 | 59 | 13 February 1988 |
| 104 | Mark Wright | 1984–1996 | 1 | 45 | 21 May 1991 |
| 104 | David Seaman | 1988–2003 | 1 | 75 | 10 September 1997 |
| 104 | Martin Keown | 1992–2002 | 1 | 43 | 11 September 2000 |
| 104 | Gareth Barry | 2000–2012 | 1 | 53 | 29 March 2011 |
| 104 | Scott Parker | 2003–2013 | 1 | 11 | 29 February 2012 |
| 104 | Ashley Cole | 2001–2014 | 1 | 107 | 29 May 2013 |
| 104 | Alex Scott | 2004–2017 | 1 | 140 | 31 October 2013 |
| 104 | Karen Bardsley | 2005–2022 | 1 | 81 | 9 March 2015 |
| 104 | Phil Jagielka | 2008–2016 | 1 | 40 | 12 October 2015 |
| 104 | James Milner | 2009–2016 | 1 | 61 | 29 March 2016 |
| 104 | Chris Smalling | 2011–2017 | 1 | 31 | 27 May 2016 |
| 104 | Toni Duggan | 2012–present | 1 | 76 | 8 November 2018 |
| 104 | Fabian Delph | 2014–2019 | 1 | 20 | 15 November 2018 |
| 104 | Marcus Rashford | 2016–present | 1 | 60 | 6 June 2021 |
| 104 | Declan Rice | 2019–present | 1 | 62 | 26 March 2024 |
| 104 | John Stones | 2014–present | 1 | 83 | 10 October 2024 |

## Captains by age

* Bold indicates permanent captain of England (not necessarily at time of the relevant match/es)

### Youngest captains

Players who started as captain at under 25 years of age.
| # | Player | Date of birth | First captaincy | Age | #W | #M |
| Age 20 |||||||
| 1 | Carol Thomas (née McCune) | (1955-06-05)5 June 1955 | 22 May 1976 | 20 years, 11 months and 17 days | 1 | – |
| Age 21 |||||||
| 2 | Keira Walsh | (1997-04-08)8 April 1997 | 4 September 2018 | 21 years, 4 months and 27 days | 2 | – |
| Age 22 |||||||
| 3 | Bobby Moore | (1941-04-12)12 April 1941 | 29 May 1963 | 22 years, 1 month and 17 days | – | 1 |
| 4 | Jordan Nobbs | (1992-12-08)8 December 1992 | 11 March 2015 | 22 years, 3 months and 3 days | 3 | – |
| 5 | Tinsley Lindley | (1865-10-27)27 October 1865 | 4 February 1888 | 22 years, 3 months and 8 days | – | 2 |
| 6 | Michael Owen | (1979-12-14)14 December 1979 | 17 April 2002 | 22 years, 4 months and 3 days | – | 3 |
| 7 | Cuthbert Ottaway | (1850-07-20)20 July 1850 | 30 November 1872 | 22 years, 4 months and 10 days | – | 4 |
| 8 | Jack Hudson | (1860-10-11)11 October 1860 | 24 February 1883 | 22 years, 4 months and 13 days | – | 5 |
| 9 | William Rawson | (1854-10-14)14 October 1854 | 3 March 1877 | 22 years, 4 months and 17 days | – | 6 |
| 10 | Percy Walters | (1863-09-30)30 September 1863 | 13 March 1886 | 22 years, 5 months and 13 days | – | 7 |
| 11 | Stan Cullis | (1916-10-25)25 October 1916 | 24 May 1939 | 22 years, 6 months and 29 days | – | 8 |
| 12 | Basil Patchitt | (1900-08-08)8 August 1900 | 21 May 1923 | 22 years, 9 months and 13 days | – | 9 |
| 13 | Billy Moon | (1868-06-07)7 June 1868 | 4 April 1891 | 22 years, 9 months and 28 days | – | 10 |
| Age 23 |||||||
| 14 | G. O. Smith | (1872-11-25)25 November 1872 | 4 April 1896 | 23 years, 4 months and 10 days | – | 11 |
| 15 | Bob Crompton | (1879-09-26)26 September 1879 | 2 March 1903 | 23 years, 5 months and 4 days | – | 12 |
| 16 | Charles Bambridge | (1858-07-30)30 July 1858 | 18 February 1882 | 23 years, 6 months and 19 days | – | 13 |
| 17 | Marcus Rashford | (1997-10-31)31 October 1997 | 6 June 2021 | 23 years, 7 months and 6 days | – | 14 |
| 18 | Stan Harris | (1881-07-19)19 July 1881 | 25 February 1905 | 23 years, 7 months and 6 days | – | 15 |
| 19 | Norman Bailey | (1857-07-23)23 July 1857 | 12 March 1881 | 23 years, 7 months and 17 days | – | 16 |
| 20 | Sol Campbell | (1974-09-18)18 September 1974 | 29 May 1998 | 23 years, 8 months and 11 days | – | 17 |
| 21 | Gerry Francis | (1951-12-06)6 December 1951 | 3 September 1975 | 23 years, 8 months and 28 days | – | 18 |
| 22 | Eric Dier | (1994-01-15)15 January 1994 | 10 November 2017 | 23 years, 9 months and 26 days | – | 19 |
| 23 | Steven Gerrard | (1980-05-30)30 May 1980 | 31 March 2004 | 23 years, 10 months and 1 day | – | 20 |
| 24 | Harry Kane | (1993-07-28)28 July 1993 | 10 June 2017 | 23 years, 10 months and 13 days | – | 21 |
| 25 | R. E. Foster | (1878-04-16)16 April 1878 | 3 March 1902 | 23 years, 10 months and 15 days | – | 22 |
| 26 | Debbie Bampton | (1961-10-07)7 October 1961 | 22 September 1985 | 23 years, 11 months and 15 days | 4 | – |
| Age 24 |||||||
| 27 | Wayne Rooney | (1985-10-24)24 October 1985 | 14 November 2009 | 24 years and 21 days | – | 23 |
| 28 | Faye White | (1978-02-02)2 February 1978 | 7 March 2002 | 24 years, 1 month and 5 days | 5 | – |
| 29 | Hubert Heron | (1852-01-30)30 January 1852 | 4 March 1876 | 24 years, 1 month and 4 days | – | 24 |
| 30 | Leah Williamson | (1997-03-29)29 March 1997 | 17 September 2021 | 24 years, 5 months and 19 days | 6 | – |
| 31 | Raheem Sterling | (1994-12-08)8 December 1994 | 6 June 2019 | 24 years, 5 months and 29 days | – | 25 |
| 32 | Billy Wright | (1924-02-06)6 February 1924 | 9 October 1948 | 24 years, 8 months and 3 days | – | 26 |
| 33 | Claude Ashton | (1901-02-19)19 February 1901 | 24 October 1925 | 24 years, 8 months and 5 days | – | 27 |
| 34 | Francis Sparks | (1855-07-04)4 July 1855 | 15 March 1880 | 24 years, 8 months and 11 days | – | 28 |
| 35 | George Cotterill | (1868-04-04)4 April 1868 | 25 February 1893 | 24 years, 10 months and 21 days | – | 29 |
| 36 | Sheila Parker | 1947 | 18 November 1972 | ~24 years and 11 months | 7 | – |
| 37 | Arthur Cursham | (1853-03-14)14 March 1853 | 2 March 1878 | 24 years, 11 months and 16 days | – | 30 |

### Oldest captains

Players who started as captain at over 35 years of age.
| # | Player | Date of birth | Last captaincy | Age | #W | #M |
| Age 41+ |||||||
| 1 | Alexander Morten | 1831 or 1832 | 8 March 1873 | 41 or 42 | – | 1 |
| Age 40 |||||||
| 2 | Peter Shilton | (1949-09-18)18 September 1949 | 7 July 1990 | 40 years, 9 months and 19 days | – | 2 |
| Age 36 |||||||
| 3 | Gillian Coultard | (1963-07-22)22 July 1963 | 13 May 2000 | 36 years, 9 months and 21 days | 1 | – |
| 4 | Jesse Pennington | (1883-08-23)23 August 1883 | 10 April 1920 | 36 years, 7 months and 18 days | – | 3 |
| 5 | Frank Lampard | (1978-06-20)20 June 1978 | 24 June 2014 | 36 years and 4 days | – | 4 |
| Age 35 |||||||
| 6 | Debbie Bampton | (1961-10-07)7 October 1961 | 11 May 1997 | 35 years, 7 months and 4 days | 2 | – |
| 7 | Billy Wright | (1924-02-06)6 February 1924 | 28 May 1959 | 35 years, 3 months and 22 days | – | 5 |
| 8 | Billy Walker | (1897-10-29)29 October 1897 | 7 December 1932 | 35 years, 1 month and 8 days | – | 6 |
| 9 | Stuart Pearce | (1962-04-24)24 April 1962 | 24 May 1997 | 35 years and 1 month | – | 7 |

## Others
### Disputed captains

These players may have officially captained England, but sources are either uncertain or differ.
| Player | England career | Caps as captain | Total caps |
| Harry Daft | 1889–1892 | 1 or 0 | 5 |
| Vaughan Lodge | 1894–1896 | 0 or 1 | 5 |
| George Raikes | 1895–1896 | 0 or 1 | 4 |

### Unofficial captains

The following players have never been named, i.e. started a match as, captain, but were given the armband partway through a match after that game's captain was either sent off or substituted. As records for such mid-game changes are not often kept, this list may be incomplete:
| Player | England career | Date |
| Gareth Southgate | 1995–2004 | 25 May 2001 |
| Robbie Fowler | 1996–2002 | 27 March 2002 |
| Danny Mills | 2001–2004 | 12 February 2003 |
| Emile Heskey | 1999–2010 | 3 June 2003 |
| Phil Neville | 1996–2007 | 3 June 2003 |
| Jamie Carragher | 1999–2010 | 3 June 2003 |
| David James | 1997–2010 | 28 May 2005 |
| Gary Neville | 1995–2007 | 1 July 2006 |
| Joleon Lescott | 2007–2013 | 26 May 2012 |
| Michael Carrick | 2001–2015 | 15 August 2012 |
| Georgia Stanway | 2018–present | 15 November 2022 |
| Rachel Daly | 2016–present | 19 February 2023 |
| Katie Zelem | 2021–present | 19 February 2023 |

### Amateurs

For a period after the introduction of professionalism, the England team split into two teams that represented the nation internationally, one only including amateur players. This or other amateur English teams also represented Great Britain at the Olympics, when known as "England" in certain early competitions.
Amateur men's teams that have represented England internationally :
| Tenure | Incumbent | Incumbent | Team |
| 1900 | Henry Haslam | Henry Haslam | Upton Park |
| 1908 | | Vivian Woodward | England amateurs |

### Captains of other non-official teams

Before the men's and women's teams each became officially associated, different teams represented them in international tournaments.
Women's teams :
| Tenure | Incumbent | Team |
| 1920 | Alice Kell | Dick, Kerr Ladies |
| 1925 | Florrie Redford | Dick, Kerr Ladies |
| 1933 | Ethel Audaer | Terry's Ladies |
| 1953 | Stella Briggs | Dick, Kerr Ladies |
| 1957–1966 | Doris Ashley | Manchester Corinthians/Nomad/All Stars Ladies |
| 1960 | Margaret Griffiths | Manchester Corinthians/Nomad/All Stars Ladies |
| 1969–1970 | Sue Lopez | British Independents |
| 1971 | Carol Wilson | British Independents |
* Bold indicates tournament winners
Non-official England women's teams' tournament record :
| Player | Tournament(s) |
| Doris Ashley | 1957 European Cup 1960 Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino |
| Margaret Griffiths | 1960 Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino |
| Sue Lopez | 1969 European Competition for Women's Football 1970 Women's World Cup |
| Carol Wilson | 1971 Women's World Cup |

### Non-official captains by appearances as captain

The following players have never captained England officially, but have started a match as named captain of a team representing England, with the match and/or team not officially recognised:
Only known, confirmed, non-official caps as captain are included.
| Player | England career | Caps as captain | First captaincy |
| Alice Kell | 1920 | 8+ | ~April 1920 |
| Doris Ashley | 1957–1966 | 5+ | 2 November 1957 |
| Carol Wilson | 1971 | 4 | 2 June 1971 |
| Sue Lopez | 1969–1970 | 2+ | 1 November 1969 |
| Florrie Redford | 1925 | 1+ | ~June 1925 |
| Margaret Griffiths | 1960 | 1+ | April 1960 |
| Stella Briggs | 1952–1953 | 1+ | 23 July 1953 |
| Stanley Briggs | 1899 | 1 | 23 November 1899 |
| Ethel Audaer | 1933 | 1 | 9 August 1933 |

### Others by age

* Bold indicates permanent captain of England (not necessarily at time of the relevant match/es)
Unofficial young captaincies
| Player | Date of birth | First unofficial captaincy | Age |
| Age 18 ||||
| Carol Wilson | June 1952 | 2 June 1971 | ~18 years and 11 months |
| Age 20 ||||
| Casey Stoney | (1982-05-13)13 May 1982 | 25 February 2003 | 20 years, 9 months and 12 days |
| Age 21 ||||
| Alice Kell | (1898-06-24)24 June 1898 | ~April 1920 | ~21 years and 9 months |
| Age 23 ||||
| Georgia Stanway | (1999-01-03)3 January 1999 | 15 November 2022 | 23 years, 10 months and 12 days |
| Age 24 ||||
| Sue Lopez | (1945-09-01)1 September 1945 | 1 November 1969 | 24 years and 2 months |
Unofficial old captaincies
| Player | Date of birth | Last unofficial captaincy | Age |
| Doris Ashley | ~1923 | 17 July 1966 | ~42 |