World Cup 2018: 3 reasons why England should be upbeat about Euro 2020

For many England fans' their World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Croatia was the latest tragedy in a long list of failures at major tournaments. Despite all of the claims in the media that this World Cup would be remembered as a success regardless of the outcome, there still remains an unshakeable feeling that this was a monumental missed opportunity.

Now that the dust has settled and England prepare for the inconsequential third place play-off match against Belgium on Saturday, it is time to start looking forward. While they may not have arrived on the international scene with the big reputations of the previous "Golden Generation", this current crop could be the one which offers England their best chance at major success in decades.

With that in mind, here's three reasons why they should be upbeat despite their latest defeat:

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#3 Youth is on their side

England had the least experienced squad at the World Cup, and one of the youngest

England came into this World Cup with much lower expectations than normal, partly due to past failures, but primarily given the lack of collective international experience within the squad.

Their team was the tournament's second youngest and also had the lowest average number of caps between them too. Given these statistics, it is incredibly surprising that they managed to progress to the last-four, irrespective of who they played to get there.

France, who may be crowned new world champions on Sunday, have a similarly youthful look about their squad. However, the French players have considerably more international caps between them than their English counterparts - while a few key individuals may have retired from international football by 2020.

Hugo Lloris, their outstanding goalkeeper and captain, will be 33 - as will Juventus' Blaise Matuidi and Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud. Comparatively, the only player from England's starting eleven against Croatia unlikely to be at the next Euros is Manchester United's Ashley Young

#2 Harry Kane has proved his world-class ability

Harry Kane is the form striker in world football.

Harry Kane is likely to walk out of this World Cup as the tournament's top goalscorer and will subsequently underline his status as the world's in-form forward by doing so. His development over the past few years has been breathtaking and he is a worthy incumbent of the England captaincy too.

Following Cristiano Ronaldo's surprise move to Juventus this week, there are rumours circulating that Real Madrid are ready to make Kane their latest Galactico. If this move is genuine and not just speculation, it will help elevate Kane to the highest echelons of club football and further individual accolades, such as the Ballon d'Or, could follow.

This experience at football's top table will help Kane to develop further, both as a player and a leader, while enhancing his national teammates' by proxy.

#1 Location, location, location!

The Euro 2020 Final will take place at Wembley.

Russia proved at this World Cup just how powerful a vocal home support can be. When the European Championships roll around in 2020, a new concept will be introduced as 12 different host countries will share the competition. Of those 12 nations, England have landed both semi-final matches and the final itself, all of which will take place at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

When England last hosted the European Championships in 1996, they were ousted during a penalty shoot-out against Germany in the semi-finals. Current manager, Gareth Southgate, was the unfortunate man who missed the crucial penalty that day.

Euro 2020 could offer some kind of redemption for Southgate, should he remain in charge during the build-up to the tournament. After a stunning re-emergence as a powerful football force during this World Cup, it feels as though England could be on the cusp of greatness once again. Two years is a short time to wait for a newly-expectant group of supporters, too.