NEIL HALL/EPA
England men’s national football team coach Thomas Tuchel
“The Three Lions” without Maguire, Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White. “Building the best possible team doesn’t necessarily mean bringing together the 26 most talented players.”
England coach Thomas Tuchel shocked a large part of the British fans this Friday, when he announced “without fear” the 26 England squad for the 2026 World Cup, which starts in less than a month.
The German surprisingly left out the stars Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire e Luke Shaw of the squad, as well as Nottingham’s offensive midfielder Forrest, Morgan Gibbs-White.
The coach explained the absences with the fact that he had bet on a “balanced” selection and wanted to make it clear that “building the best possible team does not necessarily mean bringing together the 26 most talented players”.
“Teams win championships, it’s that simple, and what we seek to achieve in the summer can only be achieved as a team. With that in mind, we chose a very balanced team.”
Asked if he “fears” leaving several world-class players out of his squad for the World Cup, the German was clear.
“I’m not afraid, because I’m very confident in the group we chose and with which we arrived. They were very difficult decisions, painful conversations, difficult for the players, difficult to explain to the players. If everyone were selected, it was certain that, of those 55 players, we would have to leave some extraordinary talents, some extraordinary personalities, at home“, said quoted by .
Maguire “shocked”
In a bet visibly focused on the most recent form of the players and not so much on the longevity of the group and status in the national team (although with some contradictions), Tuchel preferred names like Dan Burn, from Newcastle, and Jarell Quansahfrom Bayer Leverkusen, who only played once for England.
The coach’s decision left the central defender and former national team captain “shocked and devastated”, the Manchester United athlete himself, on his social media, minutes after the coach’s announcement.
Central John Stones, despite a season marked by physical problems, was also included.
Not Arnold, not Shaw
Luke Shaw, Maguire’s United colleague, was also left out, despite being on the provisional list of 55 players and there being expectations surrounding his call-up, due to his typical good performance in the English team.
The absence of Alexander-Arnold, currently at Real Madrid, is another decision that is being considered shocking.
Djed Spencefrom Tottenham who will be relegated, only played four times for the English team, but will be present in Tuchel’s entourage. The fast player, Nico O’Reilly, from Manchester City, and Tino Lavramento, from Newcastle, were preferred by the German over the veterans.
Foden and Palmer out; Henderson and Toney inside
Further ahead, the choices also left big names along the way. Phil Foden, from Manchester City, and Cole Palmer, from Chelsea, did not convince Tuchel. Foden played 32 Premier League games, with seven goals and five assists, while Palmer scored nine goals in 25 games in a season more affected by injuries.
Ollie Watkins has been called up forward after helping Aston Villa win the Europa League. Ivan ToneyAl-Ahli striker, is also on the list, after a season with 32 goals in 32 games in the Saudi league — and despite having only one cap for the national team since 2024.
“I received fantastic feedback from his coach,” Tuchel said of Toney, who supports the bet as a “viable option for all types of scenarios”, for example, where England are “looking for a result or a goal”.
“He is a natural finisher, he can help us with set pieces because he is very strong in the air, very good at using his body. And let’s not forget that he is a world-class penalty taker.”
The idea of renewing the English squad encounters some contradictions along the way: the 35-year-old veteran Jordan Henderson appears in the squad, despite not having played much recently, due to injuries and rotation issues, for Brentford. In fact, the midfielder has only played 90 minutes four times since the beginning of the year, recalls .
England prepares for the competition with games against New Zealand, on June 6th, and Costa Rica, on June 10th. THE debut in the World Cup will be against Croatia, on June 17thfollowed by meetings with Ghana and Panama in the group stage.
England’s 26-man squad
Goalkeeper:
- Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
- Jordan Pickford (Everton)
- James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenses:
- Dan Burn (Newcastle United)
- Marc Guehi (Manchester City)
- Reece James (Chelsea)
- Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)
- Tino Livramento (Newcastle)
- Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
- Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Grandpa Spence (Tottenham)
- John Stones (Manchester City)
Mid:
- Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
- Jordan Henderson (Brentford)
- Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal)
- Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Advanced:
- Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- Noni Madueke (Arsenal)
- Marcus Rashford (Barcelona)
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
- Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
- Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
Tomás Guimarães, ZAP //
