England’s World Cup 2026 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?

England have only two more camps before Thomas Tuchel names his squad for the 2026 World Cup , and plenty is still up in the air.

England’s 5-0 win over Latvia secured their place at the tournament, and they will reconvene in November for their final two qualifiers against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana.

Tuchel won’t see his squad again until some friendlies in March, after which he will have just a few weeks to finalise his group to take to USA, Canada and Mexico in June.

The manager has made clear that he wants to build a squad with clearly defined roles, and two players for every position on the pitch, plus three flexible and versatile additions to round out the 26.

But there remain major questions over the full-back positions, the composition of midfield and the plethora of wingers and No 10s to whittle down – with some big names almost certain to miss out.

So who will Thomas Tuchel select in his 26-man squad?

Jordan Pickford: The Everton keeper was Gareth Southgate’s No 1 and has maintained top spot under Thomas Tuchel.

John Stones: Tuchel named the Manchester City centre-back as one of his “captains” and, if he is fit, Stones will start every World Cup game at the heart of England’s defence.

Marc Guehi: The Crystal Palace captain lined up alongside Stones at last year’s Euros and remains his most likely partner next summer.

Ezri Konsa: The Aston Villa centre-back appears to have cemented his place as one of Tuchel’s most reliable options, having played more minutes under the German manager than any other defender.

Elliot Anderson: Tuchel has made clear that Anderson is the leading candidate to play in England’s holding role position.

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Elliot Anderson is in Thomas Tuchel’s plans (PA) (PA Wire)

Declan Rice: Another of Tuchel’s “captains” who will be essential to any success at the World Cup .

Jude Bellingham: The Real Madrid man will surely win back his place in the England squad, with Tuchel admitting that England are a better team with Bellingham than without him. England need their best players firing to have any chance of winning the World Cup , and Bellingham is undoubtedly one of them.

Bukayo Saka : The Arsenal winger is another key part of Tuchel’s starting XI.

Harry Kane: It is easy to forget that plenty of pundits and fans wanted Kane dropped for the Euro 2024 final. The big question about England’s captain is whether he can translate his sensational club form into dominating a major tournament.

Dean Henderson : The Crystal Palace goalkeeper looks set to be England’s back-up, so long as he maintains his place and his form at Selhurst Park.

Reece James : Tuchel adores the Chelsea captain and there is no doubt James will be at the World Cup if he is fit, most likely as the starting right-back. But his fitness in itself is such an uncertainty that he doesn’t make our on-the-plane list, yet.

Tino Livramento : The Newcastle full-back is injured right now but seems to be in Tuchel’s good books and his ability to play both sides adds to his appeal.

Dan Burn : Burn is a popular and well-respected squad player who adds something different with his towering physical presence. He seems to be Tuchel’s fourth choice at centre-back.

Myles Lewis-Skelly : Tuchel loves the Arsenal full-back although doubts remain over his minutes for the Gunners this season, with Riccardo Calafiori currently preferred by Mikel Arteta.

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Myles Lewis-Skelly faces a fight for minutes at Arsenal this season (The FA via Getty Images)

Jordan Henderson : Henderson is another player who has been name-checked as one of the “captains” by Tuchel and it seems likely he will be in the squad as the back-up to Anderson in the No 6 role.

Morgan Rogers: Tuchel has turned to Rogers in Bellingham’s absence over recent weeks, and the Villa midfielder looks poised to earn a place in the squad as an option at No 10.

Eberechi Eze : Tuchel has spoken in glowing terms about Eze as a player who offers something different, creatively, from players like Bellingham and Rogers. His ability to play wide, as a No 10 and as an attacking No 8 will be a useful asset in the squad.

Cole Palmer : It seems incredible not to list Palmer on the plane, but the sheer intensity of competition for places in the No 10 slot makes his position uncertain. Bellingham, Rogers, Foden and Eze can all play in that role, while Saka and Madueke appear likely to be first-choice options on the right flank. Palmer will most probably be at the World Cup , but Tuchel has made no guarantees and has raised concerns about his groin injury.

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Cole Palmer is key for Chelsea but still finding his role with England (AFP via Getty Images)

Anthony Gordon : The Newcastle winger seems to be in pole position to start on the right wing, and has regularly featured there for Tuchel so far.

Noni Madueke : Madueke is Bukayo Saka’s deputy at Arsenal and could fill the same role for England , having performed well in September’s thrashing of Serbia.

Ollie Watkins : Despite a sluggish start to the Premier League season, Watkins remains Kane’s most likely deputy.

James Trafford : Ousted from the City team by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but still likely to go as England’s third-choice keeper to gain tournament experience.

Djed Spence : Much like Livramento, Tuchel has called up Spence and likes that the Tottenham defender has experience playing both full-back roles. Right now they are both in the frame but it may be that only one of the two goes to the World Cup .

Jarell Quansah : The Leverkusen defender has been picked by Tuchel for World Cup qualifiers and could take one of the fringe spots in the squad.

Trent Alexander-Arnold : Tuchel has been frank about his preference for James and Livramento in the pecking order at right-back, hinting at concerns about Alexander-Arnold’s defensive concentration. He needs a strong debut season at Real Madrid to regain his England place.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold must impress at Madrid to be at the World Cup (Borja Hojas/PA) (PA Wire)

Luke Shaw : Tuchel has been complimentary about Shaw and a consistent run of form and fitness at Manchester United could possibly see him brought back into the fold as a left-back option.

Adam Wharton : The Crystal Palace midfielder was something of a surprise inclusion by Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024 but has since established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, with the ability to play as a deep-lying playmaker as well as a box-to-box role. Yet Tuchel didn’t select him for the recent camp before injury struck, and Wharton is running out of games to impress in an England shirt before the World Cup .

Ruben Loftus-Cheek : Tuchel gave the AC Milan midfielder a surprise recall to the squad, but there is a lot of competition for midfield places.

Morgan Gibbs-White : Another player given minutes by Tuchel who may find himself edged out by the sheer number of options in central roles.

Phil Foden : Foden is another in the Palmer bracket where it seems bizarre that he wouldn’t be at a major tournament for England , and yet the City midfielder has barely featured under Tuchel so far and appears to have work to do for exactly the same reasons.

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Phil Foden needs a big season with Manchester City to win back his England place (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

Jarrod Bowen : The West Ham captain seems to be third choice on the right wing behind Saka and Madueke, but his league form is excellent and he has a chance of squeezing into the plane.

Jack Grealish : His sensational start to the season wasn’t enough to win back a place in the squad, so it is hard to see how Grealish leaps the queue with Gordon, Rashford and perhaps Eze all seemingly ahead of him in the fight to start on the left wing.

Marcus Rashford : Goals and assists for Barcelona have pushed Rashford’s cause and Tuchel seems to like him, although the manager has also had cautionary words about wasting his talent. Rashford’s versatility, able to cover both wing and striker should Kane need it, might help his selection cause. Right now he is not in our predicted World Cup squad, but that could change after November’s internationals.

Nick Pope

Kyle Walker

Harry Maguire

Trevoh Chalobah

Nico O’Reilly

Lewis Hall

Curtis Jones

Conor Gallagher

Mason Mount

Liam Delap

Dominic Solanke

Goalkeepers : Pickford, D Henderson, Trafford.

Defenders : James, Livramento, Stones, Guehi, Konsa, Burn, Quansah, Spence, Lewis-Skelly.

Midfielders : Anderson, J Henderson, Wharton, Rice, Bellingham.