England manager Thomas Tuchel has made several headline-grabbing decisions in his World Cup squad selection, leaving out star performers Cole Palmer and Phil Foden. The squad, announced on Friday, also omitted Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Saudi-based Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney was a surprise inclusion.
Read more: Palmer and Foden Omitted from England’s World Cup SquadTuchel, who guided Chelsea to Champions League glory, was appointed to lead England to their first major international trophy in 60 years. The German coach’s bold choices will face intense scrutiny should the Three Lions fall short in the coming weeks.
Palmer and Foden, instrumental in England’s run to the Euro 2024 final, were dropped after underwhelming club seasons with Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. Tuchel acknowledged the difficulty of informing players they would not be traveling to the United States, describing the conversations as emotionally taxing. It was difficult, sometimes painfully difficult. Even in the phone calls, I felt the emotion,” Tuchel said. I called every player who had been in camp at least once, to show appreciation and respect for their contributions.”
Despite his omission, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire expressed his shock on social media, stating, “I was confident I could play a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.” His United teammate Luke Shaw was also left out.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, both among the Premier League’s top English scorers this season, missed out as well. In midfield, veteran Brentford and ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson secured a spot at the expense of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
Tuchel has shown faith in centre-back John Stones despite his injury-plagued campaign with Manchester City. Ivan Toney, meanwhile, returns to the squad after limited international action since his move to Saudi Arabia in 2024. The striker previously made an impact off the bench at Euro 2024.
England will open their World Cup campaign 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: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento, Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly (all Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
