In reality, the winners have to play seven games so comparing them to the stage England are at now would be unfair - so any historical comparisons made will be up to the quarter-finals stage rather than the final total bookings.
The question is whether the passive and controlled approach that England take will be enough or if a more fiery and aggressive style of play displayed by winners of the past will be needed deeper into the tournament.
Ultimately, a mixture of both has eventually been required, with all of the previous five winners ending on a minimum of six total bookings - some reaching as high as 13.
Spain's 2010 winning side bare the closest resemblance to Gareth Southgate's team in terms of disciplinary record, picking up just one yellow card by the quarter-final stage.
Their possession-based style meant they were very rarely without the ball so didn't often have to make many fouls.
This would all change when the final came around, though, with the Spaniards having to raise their game against a nasty Netherlands side - including Nigel de Jong who produced one of the worst challenges in World Cup history.
La Roja picked up five yellow cards in the final alone, which they eventually won 1-0, highlighting the importance of a side having some bite to them when needed.
There was also nine bookings for their opponents and a red card for defender Johnny Heitinga which played a big part in the final result.
At the other end of the spectrum is the 2006 World Cup-winning Italy side, who ended the tournament with 11 yellows and two reds from just seven matches.
The Italians had picked up nine yellows and both of their red cards from the first four fixtures but would go on to win the whole tournament, only conceding two goals.
Ironically it was a red card that favoured them in the final, with France's Zinedine Zidane infamously dishing out a headbutt to Marco Materazzi and Italy eventually going on to win the match on penalties.
This is the prime example of why caution is needed when discussing a team's disciplinary style - with an aggressive approach ultimately benefitting Italy but undoing the French.
In 2014, Germany got to the final eight having picked up just two yellow cards and ended the competition on just six yellows - the best disciplinary record of the last five winners.
This again bodes well for the Three Lions but as mentioned previously, it shows the need for some bite to their play when it is required.
However, France are the latest winners of the World Cup and they finished with 12 total cards in 2018 - all of which were yellow.
There's then another relatively low total for the 2002 winning side Brazil, who were shown one red card and seven yellows.
All this goes to show is that when a bit of fight and desire is required, a nastier side to England will need to surface and they will have to do the dirty work when called upon.
They have the capability to do so with the likes of Jordan Henderson (32), Declan Rice (23) and Kalvin Phillips (27) all able to put themselves about the pitch and break up play effectively.
Despite this it's important to note that bookings don't necessarily equate to winning - but history shows that England's discipline will be tested at some point in the tournament.
