Thomas Tuchel is set to announce his 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup on Friday morning, with the makeup of the group already becoming clear following a series of phone calls. The Football Association will stream a live show from Wembley on its England app from 9.45am BST, featuring former internationals Theo Walcott and Daniel Sturridge, before Tuchel gives an interview.
Harry Maguire revealed on Thursday that he was 'shocked and gutted' to be excluded, indicating the direction of Tuchel's thinking. The manager had previously suggested other centre-backs were ahead of Maguire, naming Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi, John Stones and Trevoh Chalobah, with Dan Burn also likely to be included. Jarell Quansah remains in contention.
Jordan Pickford is the undisputed number one goalkeeper, with Dean Henderson and James Trafford as back-ups. Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope are left out, while Tuchel plans to use Jason Steele as a non-playing training goalkeeper. The wildcard inclusion of Ivan Toney is expected, despite the squad being largely consistent with previous selections.
Fitness concerns surround John Stones and Reece James, both of whom have limited recent game time. Stones has made only four appearances for Manchester City since December, while James returned from a hamstring injury in late May. Levi Colwill has impressed since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture but may be considered a risk. Tino Livramento is expected to prove his fitness after a thigh problem, while Ben White is definitely out injured. Djed Spence and Trent Alexander-Arnold are lower in the right-back pecking order.
