World Cup 2026 news: Reviewing Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man England squad as big names miss out
England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed his 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup – and it has certainly been met with a lot of opinions and controversy.
With some big names not making the final cut for FIFA’s showpiece in the US, Mexico and Canada, Sports News Blitz writer Dejan Johal is here with a review of Tuchel’s squad.
Who made the World Cup squad?
There has been a lot of speculation and discussion around what this squad would end up being.
One of the big questions was: “Is Tuchel going to pick players that are in form or will he choose players that have done well for him?”
And it seems that he has gone for the second option as many of the players who are going have been selected in his squads in past international breaks.
In particular, there was a lot of talk about Jude Bellingham and whether or not Tuchel fancied him as he wasn’t selected in the first few squads.
However, it has been confirmed that Bellingham was always going to go, and you feel he now plays a vital role in Tuchel’s team.
Many people have been very critical about Tuchel’s selection of certain other players, though, such as Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson, Ivan Toney, and Noni Madueke.
But despite the public’s criticism, the England manager has selected these players and stuck with those who have been with him since his first international squad selection.
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England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and James Trafford
Defenders: Reece James, Tino Livramento, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Jarell Quansah, Nico O’Reilly, Dan Burn and Djed Spence
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Kobbie Mainoo
Forwards: Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze
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Notable absentees
The squad selection has sparked major debate as there are some big names missing.
The likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Adam Wharton, and Harry Maguire have all been left out of Tuchel’s World Cup plans.
Foden and Palmer are incredible talents who have done it for their clubs in the past.
The problem is they have both endured poor seasons and haven’t grabbed their opportunities to stake a claim in the England squad.
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, has won major trophies and revolutionised the right-back position in the modern era.
Despite this, his defending has always come into question and maybe Tuchel doesn’t feel like he can trust Trent should England go up against a top team in the latter stages of the tournament.
Some players may feel really hard done by, like Wharton and Lewis Hall who have both had great seasons for their respective clubs.
But it feels like Tuchel is valuing the experience of Henderson and Burn more as he has picked them from the beginning.
At the end of the day, the squad is definitely missing some big names and many England fans are not happy with it.
However, Tuchel is one of the most successful managers of the last decade and someone who knows how to set up for major tournaments.
If he believes this squad can win England the World Cup, then fans must back and support his decisions.
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