England squad announcement live: Tuchel denies rift with Bellingham or Foden after leaving duo out | OneFootball

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Tuchel breaks silence after Bellingham omitted from England squad

Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have been left out of the latest England squad named by Thomas Tuchel this morning.

Tuchel promised a “brave” England selection following the 5-0 win in Serbia last month, in what was the standout result of his time in charge, and he has responded by sticking with largely the same group ahead of a friendly against Wales at Wembley and a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on 14 October.

It means there is no place for Bellingham, just two days after being announced 2024/25 England men's senior player of the year. The 22-year-old is back playing for Real Madrid after missing the start of the season due to his recovery from shoulder surgery, while Foden and Grealish, who have returned to form at Manchester City and Everton respectively, are also not included.

Bukayo Saka returns from injury, however, replacing the injured Noni Madueke, but Adam Wharton also misses out, with Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson and Ruben Loftus-Cheek among the midfield options next to Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers. Cole Palmer, Tino Livramento and Trent Alexander-Arnold were unavailable due to injury.

“It’s only three weeks now since the last camp and the last win [against Serbia], the last performance,” Tuchel said. “So the question was, why not bring the same group in? Because they set the standards and now it is about creating habits out of it.”

Everything you need to know for the October internationals

Thanks for tuning in for our coverage of England’s squad announcement for the October international break. If you’re just catching up now, here’s the 24-man squad picked by Thomas Tuchel and the two fixtures that are in store.

England squad for October internationals

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson.

Defenders: Reece James, Marc Guehi, John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence.

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice.

Forwards: Harry Kane, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins.

Fixtures

9 October: England vs Wales, international friendly (7:45pm BST, Wembley Stadium)

14 October: Latvia vs England, World cup qualifier (7:45pm BST, Daugava Stadium)

Will Castle3 October 2025 13:00

World Cup 2026 kick-offs likely to be after midnight in UK to combat searing US heat

Fifa are increasingly likely to schedule World Cup matches involving European nations after midnight UK time next year in a bid to combat the heat problems that plagued this summer’s Club World Cup.

It appeared the inaugural Club World Cup, held across the United States, had offered a glimpse into how matches would be formatted ahead of next year’s World Cup, with the earliest kick-offs scheduled at 5pm BST before being followed by games at 8pm, 11pm and 2am.

The 5pm and 8pm kick-offs were in place to suit European broadcasters but caused a problem for player welfare, with these games often taking place when the American summer heat was at its peak. The 5pm kick-off would be at midday on the US east coast, while the 8pm kick-off time would be at midday on the west coast.

World Cup 2026 kick-offs likely to be after midnight in UK to combat searing US heat

The Club World Cup in the United States was plagued by searing temperatures this summer

Will Castle3 October 2025 12:45

Thomas Tuchel denies rift with Jude Bellingham as he explains Foden and Grealish omissions from England squad

Thomas Tuchel insisted he has no personal problem with Jude Bellingham and said he wanted to retain the same squad who thrashed Serbia 5-0 in England’s last match as he explained why several big names were missing from the group.

Tuchel said: “Jude is a very special player, and for special players there can always be special rules. I get this. But for this camp we decided that we stick with our straightforward decision to invite the same team. That applies also then for Jude, he deserves always to be in camp.

“I think there is an extra layer on top, the situation that he has not gathered fully rhythm yet at Real Madrid. He is back in the team. He hasn’t finished one full match until now, he has only started one match, so he is in the period where he gets his rhythm, where he gets back to full strength. But the decision stayed for this camp.

“He wanted to be called up, we had a phone call, there is no issue from that side, he just lacks rhythm, he hasn’t finished one complete match. And on top of it, we decided to go with the same squad.”

Asked whether he has any personal issues with Bellingham after branding him as “repulsive” in the summer, Tuchel added: “No. There is also no problem between me and Phil Foden, there is no problem between me and Jack Grealish. Very special players. Phil is back to influencing games, deciding games for Manchester City. Jack is very close to be the best version of himself, a very special player, a very special character.

“There is no problem at all, there is no personal problem.”

Will Castle3 October 2025 12:00