Home / Football / Internationals News BREAKING: Kyle Walker retires from international football The 35-year-old will now focus on club matters for Burnley Written by Jon Fisher Last Update: March 10, 2026 03:56:39 pm GMT 4 min read Full-back Kyle Walker has retired from international football after winning 96 caps for England. Walker was a mainstay of the England defence for well over a decade after making his senior debut in 2011 against Spain.The Burnley defender played for the Three Lions in five major tournaments, helping them reach the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the final of the European Championship in both 2021 and 2024.He wrote on Instagram: After more than a decade representing my country, I have decided to retire from international football.Playing for England has always been the biggest honour of my career and something I will always be proud of.Thank you to every teammate, coach, manager, the 12th man, and everyone behind the scenes who has been part of the journey. Every roar from the fans pushed the team along and Im looking forward to joining them to support the lads in the World Cup.The memories in an England shirt will stay with me forever.I also want to thank my family for their support every step of the way. They have made this journey even more special and I will always be grateful to have shared it with them.Table of Contents1 Walker unlikely to play at this summers World Cup2 The curtains have drawn WalkerWalker unlikely to play at this summers World CupDuring his peak years at Manchester City, Sheffield-born Walker was arguably the best right-back in the world. He left the Etihad, initially to join AC Milan on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, before moving to Burnley on a permanent deal last July.His advancing years, as well as no longer competing at the very highest level, means he was unlikely to earn a place in Thomas Tuchels squad for this summers World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Reece James is favourite to start in the right-back berth.Walkers last cap came in the defeat to Senegal at the City Ground in June, 2025.He added on the FA website: To represent your country once, let alone 96 times, Im extremely proud of that.To then go to the tournaments that Ive been to and experience what I have for both myself and my teammates, and also to see the thousands, if not millions, of people enjoying the same experience, its a great honour.To be among the first team to represent England in a major final since 1966, Im really proud to say that I was a part of that.You always look back at the highs and the lows, and certainly Iceland [at Euro 2016] was a low.But when we started this journey, especially with Gareth [Southgate], we wanted to make sure that we were recognised as one of the best nations in the world.I think were definitely on the path to doing that, and I still say we because Ive been a part of that.The curtains have drawn WalkerHe added: Weve tried to change the way that people look at English football, weve tried to change the way that the media looks at football and weve tried to take a little bit of the pressure off that you feel playing for England.Of course, I think there should be some pressure playing for your country, but we should all carry that because were the chosen ones who are lucky enough to pull on that shirt and represent our country.Hopefully, my team mates can also say that Ive been a part of helping them develop as players and to represent the country and what it means.But in football, you experience ups and downs, highs and lows and ultimately, the curtain does draw at the end. Topics: Burnley F.C. England National Football Team Follow us: Jon Fisher Jon has over 20 years' experience in sports journalism having worked at the Press Association, Goal and Stats Perform, covering three World Cups, an Olympics and numerous other major sporting events. Read more from Jon Fisher
