Bukayo Saka has declared his belief that England are capable of winning the FIFA World Cup this summer — ending a wait that stretches back to their solitary triumph in 1966.

The Three Lions claimed that title on home soil, defeating West Germany in a memorable final at Wembley Stadium. Since then, England have come close on a handful of occasions but never laid hands on the trophy again.

A squad built on hunger and competition

Saka, 24, pointed to the combination of talent and desire within the current England camp as reason for genuine optimism heading into the tournament.

"I see strengths everywhere and I also see a lot of hunger and passion to win, which is a great balance and is what you need," Saka told FIFA.com.

"This team has so much talent, but at the same time so much competition. It's healthy, it's good, it's a great environment and I think we're all thriving."

The Arsenal winger added: "There's loads of talent, loads of competition, and at the same time, we have a real sense of togetherness as well, so, it's a great balance."

Saka keen to emulate England's 1966 heroes

The England squad's most recent deep run at a World Cup came in 2018, when they reached the semi-finals — their best performance in 28 years. Four years later in Qatar, Saka was part of the side that fell in the quarter-finals to holders and eventual finalists France.

Those near misses have only sharpened his resolve. He is determined to follow in the footsteps of the 1966 generation — captained by Bobby Moore and powered by Geoff Hurst — the only England side to have won a major international honour.

"As an England player, they set the standards for us as a team and obviously we want to follow in their footsteps and achieve what they have," Saka said.

"That's the dream. That's what we're working towards, and it would be very, very special if we could achieve that."