Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for the 2026 World Cup, and the selections have already sparked more debate than almost any England squad announcement in recent memory. Sky Sports’ chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol called it “probably the most shocking since 1998”, and it’s hard to argue. Phil Foden is out. Cole Palmer is out. Trent Alexander-Arnold is out. Harry Maguire was so upset he went straight onto social media to say he was “shocked and gutted.”
What’s emerged from all of this is a 26-man group that tells you a lot about how Tuchel sees England, and what he thinks wins tournaments.
The Full England Squad for the 2026 World Cup
Here is the confirmed 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup, announced on Friday, 22 May:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Man City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), John Stones (Man City), Marc Guehi (Man City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Nico O’Reilly (Man City), Djed Spence (Tottenham), Tino Livramento (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa), Noni Madueke (Chelsea)
Jason Steele (Brighton) travels as an additional training goalkeeper outside the official 26.
Nine of those players, James Trafford, Tino Livramento, Nico O’Reilly, Djed Spence, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, Elliot Anderson, Noni Madueke, and Morgan Rogers, will be making their senior tournament debuts at the World Cup.
England’s Group Stage: Who They Face and Where
England are in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. The fixtures are:
- 17 June — England vs Croatia, AT&T Stadium, Dallas (9pm BST)
- 23 June — England vs Ghana, Gillette Stadium, Boston (9pm BST)
- 27 June — England vs Panama, MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey (10pm BST)
It’s a group England should get out of. Croatia have declined since their 2018 golden generation, Ghana are inconsistent on the biggest stage, and England beat Panama 6-1 at the 2018 World Cup. But the opener against Croatia is no gimme, they’re still a side built to frustrate, and England have historically struggled against well-organised European opposition in tournament football.
Win the group and you likely avoid the bracket containing Argentina, Spain, and France until the semi-finals.
The Big Calls: Who Made It In and Why
Harry Kane — Captain, Record-Breaker, Still the Man
Kane captains the side and, yes, he still needs to score at a major international tournament. His record for Bayern Munich over the past two seasons has been sensational, a goalscoring rate that puts him among the best strikers in European football. The criticism that he disappears in big games for England is fair but also slightly unfair. He was the top scorer at Euro 2024. The question is whether he can finally win something with this group.
Jude Bellingham — Back Where He Belongs
Bellingham missed an England squad earlier in the season after shoulder surgery, and there were genuine questions about whether Tuchel would start without him. Tuchel, to his credit, admitted England are a better team with Bellingham than without him, which is the sort of thing that sounds obvious but wasn’t always said. He’s in the 10 role and likely starts every game.
Ivan Toney — The Surprise of the Whole Selection
This one caught almost everyone off-guard. Toney has been playing in the Saudi Pro League for Al Ahli, and he hasn’t been in an England squad since last summer. The fact that he got the nod ahead of players like Morgan Gibbs-White and Dominic Solanke suggests Tuchel values something specific about Toney, probably his physicality and his ability to hold the ball up as an alternative to Kane. He’s not the kind of player who gets invited to tournaments and sits quietly on the bench. Whether he gets minutes will be interesting to watch.
Eberechi Eze — Fresh Off a Title Win
Eze has had a brilliant season, winning the Premier League with Arsenal. He’s versatile, direct, and genuinely difficult to stop in small spaces. He’s probably the likeliest player in the squad to drag England out of trouble with a moment of individual quality when things get stuck.
Noni Madueke — In Over Foden and Palmer
This is the call people will discuss for months. Madueke plays for the same Chelsea club as Palmer, and he’s earned a tournament spot while Palmer, who was England’s standout player at Euro 2024, misses out after a poor season. Foden’s exclusion is easier to understand; he’s been below his best at City all year. Palmer’s omission is harder to swallow for many England fans, but Tuchel clearly decided form over reputation this time.
The Notable Absences
Trent Alexander-Arnold — hasn’t played for England since last summer and never really won Tuchel over, which puts the German at odds with a generation of Liverpool fans who think Trent is one of the ten best players in the world.
Phil Foden — a poor club season, plus stiff competition in the creative positions, proved fatal to his World Cup hopes.
Cole Palmer — the most emotionally difficult omission for many England supporters. His Euro 2024 impact was real. But you pick on current form at your peril, and his 2024/25 campaign hasn’t matched expectations.
Harry Maguire — posted on social media about being “shocked and gutted” after Tuchel told the squad on Thursday. Jarell Quansah of Bayer Leverkusen gets the spot instead.
Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White, Luke Shaw — all left at home, which shows the depth England genuinely has in certain positions.
Tournament Debutants — Nine New Faces on the World Stage
One of the more underreported aspects of this squad: it’s not just a collection of veterans. Livramento, Quansah, and Elliot Anderson were all part of the England Under-21 side that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship last summer. James Trafford and Madueke won it in 2023. There’s a genuine pipeline of tournament winners in this group, which matters. Experience of winning in pressure moments, even at youth level, isn’t nothing.
Nico O’Reilly was described as one of the breakout sensations of the Premier League season. The Manchester City midfielder is in his late teens and has earned his spot on merit, not sentiment. Djed Spence’s inclusion was more of a surprise, largely a beneficiary of Alexander-Arnold’s absence and Lewis Hall’s omission, but his versatility on both flanks gives Tuchel options.
How England Might Line Up
Tuchel hasn’t been rigidly wedded to one system, but the most likely starting XI looks something like:
Pickford in goal. Reece James at right-back when fit, with Spence as cover. Stones and Guehi at centre-back. Livramento at left-back. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson anchoring the midfield. Bellingham as the 10, with Saka and Madueke or Eze on the wings. Kane leading the line.
The midfield balance is worth watching. Rice is England’s best player in terms of consistency and reliability. Anderson has been earmarked for the holding role and will need to handle the step up from Nottingham Forest to the World Cup. That’s a big ask, but Tuchel clearly believes in him.
Can England Win the 2026 World Cup?
England haven’t won a major international trophy since 1966. At Euro 2024, they reached the final and lost. Before that, a World Cup semi-final in 2018. There’s a pattern of almost-but-not-quite under Gareth Southgate. Tuchel is a different personality, more decisive, less risk-averse, and less afraid to upset people with his selections, as this squad proves.
The squad has genuine quality in it. Bellingham and Saka are capable of winning games on their own. Kane, when he’s at his best, is one of the most clinical finishers in the world. And the group stage draw, while not trivial, is manageable.
Whether England can keep clean sheets in the knockout rounds, and whether the midfield can impose itself against France, Spain, or Argentina, will probably decide how deep this run goes.
But that’s a worry for July. For now, the squad is named, the tickets are booked, and the Three Lions are heading to North America with something to prove.
England will play pre-tournament friendlies against New Zealand in Tampa (6 June) and Costa Rica in Orlando (10 June) before their Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June 2026.
