Chelsea defender Gary Cahill will captain England in Saturday's friendly with World Cup winners Germany in Berlin.
Cahill, 30, was confirmed as skipper on England's official Twitter account in the absence of regular captain Wayne Rooney, who is injured.
This will be just the second time the centre-back has worn the England captain's armband from the outset, having first done so in October's Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Estonia, having been vice-captain since September 2014.
We can confirm that @GaryJCahill will captain #England against @DFB_Team tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/TcqZpF5F9d
- England (@england) March 25, 2016
"Obviously it's a great honour," Cahill said. "It's a dream come true to play for your country, but to captain it's a very special moment and one I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Cahill's appointment may have seemed unlikely a few months ago, when he had fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge. But injuries to John Terry and Kurt Zouma have given him a new opportunity to play on a regular basis.
"It was a bit concerning at that moment in time, because I want to be playing, just like anyone else, as much as possible," Cahill said. "It's important to be back in the team, but everyone's aware of this season and the situation we've had at Chelsea that hasn't been great.
"Form-wise I feel fit, I feel good, and it's important that I've been back out there, keeping sharp and getting game time."
Cahill and the rest of the 22-man England squad arrived in Berlin on Friday afternoon ahead of the glamour friendly, and the defender said he believed the team is coming together "nicely" ahead of this summer's tournament.
"I think we spoke a few months ago and said we were going in the right direction," Cahill said. "The qualification group went well. We still have things to learn. The France and Spain games were great opposition and two great tests. They're not the be-all and end-all. We're working hard all the time and I think we're going in the right direction.
"It is a chance [to lay down a marker], but we know ourselves it's a friendly, but at the same time there are no friendly games for England. We want to play the right way, but we know we're going to be judged, especially against tough opposition.
"We just want to keep going the same way and play how we've been playing, but it's not the be-all and end-all. If we win tomorrow we won't convince anyone we're going to win the tournament, and if we lose we won't convince anyone we won't.
"It's another great test against a great opposition and one we're all looking forward to. We've got two more games [against Germany and Netherlands] and at the end of them it gives us a chance to see where we are playing against top players."