For supporters of Northampton Town F.C., the news of Ivan Toney’s inclusion in England’s 2026 World Cup squad is another proud moment in one of the club’s greatest modern success stories.

Confirmed in Thomas Tuchel’s final 26-man squad for the tournament this summer, Toney’s call-up is the latest chapter in a remarkable football journey that began in the Cobblers academy.  

Long before Premier League goals, England appearances and a move abroad, Toney was simply a teenage striker from Northampton making headlines at Sixfields. In 2012, aged just 16, he became the youngest player to appear for the Cobblers first team — a sign of the talent that was already impossible to ignore.  

Those early years at Northampton Town laid the foundations for everything that followed. Toney scored 13 goals in 60 appearances for his hometown club before earning a move to Newcastle United F.C. in 2015.  

Like many young players, the road to the top was far from straightforward. Loan spells followed, alongside periods where his career could easily have stalled. Instead, Toney kept progressing — finding his goalscoring touch at Peterborough United F.C. before exploding into national prominence with Brentford F.C..

At Brentford, Toney became one of the most feared strikers in English football, helping fire the club into the Premier League while breaking Championship scoring records along the way. England recognition soon followed, with his senior debut arriving in 2023.  

Now, after another prolific season with Al-Ahli Saudi FC, Toney is heading to the biggest stage of all. Tuchel’s decision to include the former Cobblers academy graduate in England’s World Cup squad is further proof of the striker’s resilience, quality and ability to continually prove doubters wrong.  

From teenage prospect in claret and white to England World Cup striker, Ivan Toney’s story remains one of the finest modern success stories connected to the Cobblers.