2026 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS - FIFA - PRELIMINARY STAGE - TEAMS TO SECURE THEIR PLACE AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP

The 2026 World Cup will take place in Canada, Mexico, and the USA from 11 June to 19 July

20 Oct 2025
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 18 - QUARTER-FINALS - ENGLAND VS FRANCE 1:2

France reaches semi-finals

10 Dec 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 09 - GROUP B - WALES VS ENGLAND 0:3

England reaches the last sixteen

29 Nov 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 05 - GROUP B - ENGLAND VS USA 0:0

a draw between England and USA

25 Nov 2022
2022 WORLD CUP - DAY 02 - GROUP B - ENGLAND VS IRAN 6:2

England beats Iran 

21 Nov 2022
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1 Mar 2019
2018 WORLD CUP - DAY 24 - THIRD PLACE - BELGIUM VS ENGLAND 2:0

Belgium beat England in World Cup third-place playoff 

14 Jul 2018
2018 WORLD CUP - DAY 23 - SEMI-FINALS - CROATIA VS ENGLAND 2:1

Croatia reach the World Cup final for the first time

11 Jul 2018

Ezri Konsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 08/2026

Personal information
Full name
Ezri Ngoyo Konsa

Date of birth
23 October 1997

Place of birth
Silvertown, London, England

Height
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

Positions
Centre-backright-back

Team information
Current team
Arsenal
Number
15

Youth career

Senrab
2006-2008

Charlton Athletic
2008-2016

Senior career*

Charlton Athletic
2016-2018
7x apps1 0x goal

Brentford
2018-2019
42x apps 1x goal

Aston Villa
2019-2026
231x apps 8x goals

Arsenal
2026-
0x apps 0x goal

International career‡

England U20
2017-2018
5x apps 0x goal

England U21
2018-2019
7x apps 1x goal

England
2024-
28x apps 2x goals

* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16:10, 21 August 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:10, 18 July 2026 (UTC)

Ezri Ngoyo Konsa is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Premier League club Arsenal and the England national team.

Konsa came through the academy at Charlton Athletic, and later joined Brentford and Aston Villa.

He played for England at youth level, winning the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup with the under-20 team and the 2018 Toulon Tournament with the under-21s, before making his senior debut in March 2024.

Early life

Ezri Ngoyo Konsa was born on 23 October 1997 in Silvertown, London, to a DR Congolese father and an Angolan mother.

He attended Cumberland Sports College and is a boyhood Tottenham Hotspur supporter.

Club career

Charlton Athletic

Konsa began his career with Senrab and joined Charlton Athletic at the age of 11.

He began a scholarship in July 2014 and progressed sufficiently to sign a "long-term" professional contract on 11 December 2015.

Eight days later, he received his maiden call into the first-team squad for a Championship match versus Burnley and remained an unused substitute during the 4:0 defeat.

Konsa was an unused substitute on one further occasion during the 2015-16 season, which culminated in Charlton's relegation to League One.

Konsa broke into the squad during the pre-season of their 2016-17 season and made his debut on 9 August 2016 with a start in a 1:0 EFL Cup first round defeat to Cheltenham Town.

He was a regular throughout the 2016-17 season and finished the campaign with 39 appearances.

He also showed his versatility by deputising in midfield and at full-back.

For his efforts, Konsa was named the club's Young Player of the Year.

He signed a new three-year contract in March 2017 and was again a regular during the 2017-18 season, making 47 appearances as Charlton reached the League One play-off semi-finals.

Brentford

On 12 June 2018, Konsa signed for Championship club Brentford on a three-year contract, with the option of a further year, for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £2.5 million.

He was a first choice in central defence throughout the 2018-19 season and scored the first senior goal of his career in a 3:0 victory over Preston North End on the final day.

Aston Villa

On 11 July 2019, Konsa signed for newly promoted Premier League club Aston Villa, for an undisclosed fee.

The move reunited Konsa with Dean Smith, who signed him for Brentford one year earlier, and Richard O'Kelly.

He scored on his debut for Villa in an EFL Cup tie against Crewe Alexandra on 27 August 2019.

On 21 January 2020, Konsa assisted Tyrone Mings to set up the winning goal in a 2:1 victory against Watford.

He scored his first Premier League goal on 16 July 2020, in a 1:1 away draw at Everton.

On 2 April 2021, Konsa signed a contract extension with Aston Villa until 2026. 

On 5 December 2021, Konsa scored twice in a 2:1 Premier League victory over Leicester City, becoming the first defender to score twice in a Premier League match for Aston Villa since 2010.

On 15 May 2022, Konsa suffered a serious knee injury in a home game against Crystal Palace.

Scans confirmed that, although Konsa would miss the remaining two games of the 2021-22 season, he was expected to be fit again in August or September 2022.

Konsa returned from injury on the opening day of the 2022-23 season on 6 August 2022, and once again established himself as a first-team regular for Aston Villa.

On 20 September 2023, he signed a new long-term contract with the club.

On 15 April 2025, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3:2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain during the quarter-finals of the competition.

On 6 November 2025, Konsa captained Aston Villa in a 2:0 UEFA Europa League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv.

After the match, manager Unai Emery confirmed that Konsa had been made Villa's new vice-captain, deputising John McGinn.

On 20 May 2026, Konsa started in the 2026 UEFA Europa League final, which Aston Villa won 3:0.

Arsenal

On 21 August 2026, Konsa signed for Premier League club and defending champions Arsenal on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee believed to be in the region of £51 million.

International career

Youth Career

Konsa was a member of the England squad that won the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with his only appearance in the tournament coming as a 93rd-minute substitute during the 3:1 semi-final victory over Italy.

Konsa was named in the under-21 squad for the 2018 Toulon Tournament and made two appearances.

He was an unused substitute during the 2:1 victory over Mexico in the final.

Konsa scored his first international goal on his fourth cap, in a 7:0 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification win over Andorra on 11 October 2018.

He was named in the squad for the tournament finals, but made just one appearance, as a substitute in the Young Lions' dead rubber final group stage match.

Senior Career

Konsa received his first call-up for the England senior team in November 2023 ahead of their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia, but did not play in either match.

He made his debut on 23 March 2024, as a 20th-minute substitute in a 1:0 defeat to Brazil at Wembley Stadium in a friendly.
On 6 June 2024, Konsa was named in England's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

He made his competitive debut in the round of 16 win over Slovakia, playing the second half of extra time after replacing Jude Bellingham. 

In the quarter-final against Switzerland, he was selected to start in place of the suspended Marc Guéhi, playing 78 minutes before being substituted for Cole Palmer as England eventually won via a penalty shootout.

He went on to play the final minute of stoppage time as a substitute for Bukayo Saka in England's 2:1 semi-final win against the Netherlands.

On 9 September 2025, Konsa scored his first senior international goal, the third in a 5:0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification victory away at Serbia.

On 22 May 2026, Konsa was selected in England's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On 17 June, Konsa made his World Cup debut, starting alongside John Stones in central defence in England's opening match against Croatia.

He went on to partner Marc Guéhi against Ghana and Panama in the second and third group fixtures, keeping back-to-back clean sheets.

On 6 July, he started at centre back in England's 3:2 win over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, before moving to right back after Jarell Quansah's 54th-minute red card.

He continued at right back in the 2:1 quarter-final win over Norway on 12 July.

On 18 July, Konsa also played during the third-place match against France, scoring a goal in a 6:4 victory.

Style of play

A right-footed centre-back who can also be deployed as a right-back, Konsa is considered a quick defender who frequently carries the ball up the field and blocks shots.

He is noted to have a high clean tackle percentage rate compared to other defenders, rarely going in for last-chance tackles, and in April 2024, he had a 91 percent tackle rate, the highest of any defender in the big five leagues.

He is also noted as a player who frequently wins duels, both aerially and on the ground.