England manager Thomas Tuchel has announced a preliminary 26 man squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, scheduled to take place in June and July. The selection includes several notable absentees, with Chelsea forward Cole Palmer and Real Madrid full back Trent Alexander Arnold among those not included.
Palmer, who scored in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, misses out alongside Chelsea teammate Levi Colwill, who has not recovered from a long term knee injury. Alexander Arnold has also been left out, having not featured in any England squad under Tuchel this year and playing limited minutes since joining Real Madrid.
Harry Maguire had already revealed prior to the announcement that he was disappointed by his omission from the squad, which will take part in warm up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica before the tournament begins. Tuchel has selected Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Dan Burn as his centre back options, while Jarell Quansah has also been included following his season in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.
Tuchel addressed the selection process, stating that naming a World Cup squad was an important responsibility and confirming his belief in the players chosen. He noted that the decision making process had been challenging, while expressing confidence that the group selected would represent England strongly at the tournament.
Defensive selection decisions have been a key talking point, with Nico O Reilly and Djed Spence included as left back options, while Tino Livramento and Reece James are expected to compete for the right back positions. Midfield and attacking selections also included several omissions, with Adam Wharton and Phil Foden not included, alongside Morgan Gibbs White despite recent form at club level.
Jordan Pickford is expected to remain first choice goalkeeper for his fifth major tournament, supported by James Trafford and Dean Henderson. In attack, Ivan Toney has been included after a strong goalscoring season, despite not featuring regularly for England since his move to Saudi Arabia.
Tuchel has also included three younger players who will travel with the squad to a warm weather training camp in Florida. Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha, Fulham midfielder Josh King and Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott are part of that group.
England Squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Dan Burn (Newcastle), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Attackers: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
England will begin their World Cup campaign on 17 June against Croatia in Group L, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama.
