Green was named in England's squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Manager Fabio Capello opted not to name his first choice goalkeeper until the day of England's opening match, against the United States on 12 June, at which point he selected Green to start. With England leading 1–0 in the 40th minute, Green failed to save a long-range shot from U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey, which bounced off his gloves and into the net. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. Following this error and an unconvincing final training session on 17 June, Green was dropped. He was replaced by David James who played in England's next match, a 0–0 draw against Algeria on 18 June. He did not appear again in the World Cup and was omitted from the first England squad named after the tournament for a friendly against Hungary.