Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold will watch the World Cup from home after Thomas Tuchel omitted the trio from his 26-man England squad. The German head coach made an eye-catching first tournament selection, also leaving out Harry Maguire, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White and Luke Shaw.
Surprise recalls and notable omissions
Ollie Watkins and, most surprisingly, Ivan Toney earned recalls to the squad. However, it is the high-profile absentees and the leaks ahead of Friday's official announcement that dominate the headlines. A furious Maguire took to social media, stating he was "shocked and gutted" to miss out after Tuchel informed players on Thursday. The steady drip of information allowed observers to piece together the squad in advance.
Foden and Palmer are the most prominent absentees, having endured below-par club campaigns with Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. They also face stiff competition in their areas of the pitch. Real Madrid right-back Alexander-Arnold's omission is bold but more predictable, as he has not earned a cap since last summer.
Returning forwards
Watkins and Toney return as backup options to captain Harry Kane, having successfully fulfilled that role at Euro 2024. Watkins has scored 10 times for Aston Villa since being left out of March's meet-up, while Toney's prolific spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli has earned him a surprise recall. Tuchel has only called up Toney once since taking charge, with his sole cap coming as an 88th-minute substitute in last June's friendly defeat to Senegal.
Injury concerns and defensive picks
Tino Livramento has been selected despite missing the past month with a thigh issue, while similarly versatile full-back Djed Spence has been included despite reportedly breaking his jaw on Tuesday. England kick off Group L against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, followed by matches against Ghana on June 23 and Panama on June 27.
Full England World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: 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)
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
