Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup has confirmed what the manager had been signalling for months: current form and tactical fit would take precedence over reputation, tournament experience, and past service.
The result is a list of omissions that will fuel debate from now until the opening game in North America, and for those weighing up FIFA World Cup odds on England’s chances, the absences are as revealing as the inclusions.
Harry Maguire
The most contentious call on the list, and arguably the hardest to defend. Maguire has divided opinion throughout his England career, but the facts of his recent form under Michael Carrick are difficult to ignore.
Since Carrick took charge at Old Trafford in January, Maguire has started every Premier League game, looked commanding in the air and composed in possession, and visibly rediscovered the form that made him one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s teamsheet for years.
His tournament experience is genuine and hard to replace: he has started in knockout football at a World Cup and two European Championships, and his aerial presence at set pieces, both attacking and defending, has repeatedly proven its value. Tuchel has clearly decided he wants to build from the back with a different profile, but leaving out a centre-back in the form of his life is a bold call.
Luke Shaw
Shaw’s omission is arguably even more surprising given what he has come through to get here. After years of serious injury setbacks, he has played every Premier League game for Manchester United this season, a remarkable achievement in itself that speaks to his fitness, durability and quality.
His ability to combine defensive solidity with progressive, attacking full-back play gives England a profile on the left that few in the squad can replicate. He has been one of England’s most reliable performers at major tournaments in recent memory, contributing directly to some of their best moments at the 2020 Euros, including scoring the goal to put England ahead against Italy.
The timing of this omission, just as he has returned to his best, feels particularly harsh.
Cole Palmer
Palmer’s omission can be understood in context, even if it stings. His Chelsea season has been inconsistent, and it is worth acknowledging that some of that inconsistency reflects the chaos surrounding him at Stamford Bridge rather than a straightforward decline in form.
He remains one of the most naturally gifted attacking players England have produced in years, with the ability to manufacture something from nothing in tight international football. Tuchel has clearly decided that reliability and current rhythm matter more than potential brilliance, which is a defensible position.
It is still a significant gamble to leave out a player capable of winning a knockout game on his own.
Phil Foden
Unlike Palmer, Foden’s omission is harder to argue against on purely objective grounds. His Manchester City season has been genuinely poor by his own standards, not simply a question of missing rhythm or confidence but a sustained drop in output and influence across the campaign.
Tuchel will have watched closely and concluded that Foden is not currently the player who tormented opponents for England at Euro 2024. That said, players of Foden’s quality have a habit of finding form at major tournaments when the stakes are highest, and the margin between a below-par Foden and most alternatives in this squad remains considerable.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent’s situation carries its own specific context. His move to Real Madrid in January, while a remarkable career milestone, meant leaving behind the rhythm and familiarity of Anfield at a critical point in his development.
He has not consistently nailed down a starting position in Madrid, and Tuchel is understood to have concerns about his defensive positioning in a high-pressure international environment. None of that erases the fact that he is one of the most technically gifted English players of his generation.
His passing range, his ability to create from deep, and his dead-ball delivery are qualities this squad will almost certainly miss at some point in the tournament.
Jarrod Bowen
The least surprising omission of the group, but still a loss worth noting. Bowen’s directness, his relentless work rate without the ball, and his ability to stretch defences gave England a functional option that complemented the more technical players around him.
His eight Premier League goals and 10 assists this season for West Ham demonstrate he is in the form of his career. Tuchel has clearly prioritised a different profile, but Bowen’s energy from the bench would have offered genuine value in the knockout rounds.
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Tuchel will be judged on results, as all England managers are. If the Three Lions go deep in North America, these calls will be reframed as brave and visionary. If they fall short in the knockout rounds, needing a moment of individual brilliance, these are the names that will be brought up.
England vs Croatia betting markets reflect a side expected to progress comfortably from the group stage. Whether this squad has the match-winning class to go all the way remains the central question of an English summer.
