World Cup 2026: The biggest omissions from Tuchel’s England squad | OneFootball

The World Cup is coming into view after Thomas Tuchel named the England squad heading to North America and he has made a number of massive calls. 

Even though the squad size increased in 2022, there are still many players who will be disappointed to have missed out on the chance to play on the biggest stage in the sport.

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is one of those names, which would have been unthinkable at the start of this season. But the playmaker has been hampered by injury issues that have clearly affected his form. Palmer has only scored nine goals in the Premier League this season, four of which have come from the penalty spot, and provided one assist. He is not the same player he once was, sadly.

Phil Foden’s omission would have felt similarly impossible not that long ago, but it’s also not a shock to see the Manchester City attacker left out. Aside from a hot run in November and December, during which he scored six goals in four consecutive league matches, Foden has been a pale imitation of the maestro that won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in 2024.

Their downfall has run parallel to the rise of Morgan Rogers, who is enjoying the best week of his career. The 23-year-old would have gotten the call from Tuchel on the same day he was celebrating Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa League win on an open top bus parade in Birmingham. His place in the team has come at the expense of Palmer and Foden, but is richly deserved.

Meanwhile, Rogers’ namesake, Gibbs-White, has missed out after having the best season of his for Nottingham Forest. He will feel he deserved to go ahead of Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze, having registered twice as many goal involvements in the Premier League on an inferior team.

Elsewhere in midfield, Tuchel has plumped for the experience of Jordan Henderson over Adam Wharton, even though the Crystal Palace man has been exceptional for Crystal Palace this season.

Read – England squad revealed ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup

At the back, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission is not exactly shocking, but is a major decision nonetheless. The Real Madrid right-back possesses immense talent, but Tuchel preferred Tino Livramento and Djed Spence instead. England look a little light on the left side of defence, though, with Nico O’Reilly the only left-back included, while Luke Shaw has been left at home.

His Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire is another huge omission given how important he has been for England in tournament’s in the past, while Levi Colwill and Fikayo Tomori will also be watching the World Cup from their couch. Surprisingly, former Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah will be going instead.

The biggest surprise, however, was the inclusion of Ivan Toney, who has played just two minutes for England under Tuchel. The former Brentford striker’s international career, let alone his chance of going to the World Cup, was considered over after he moved to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia. Danny Welbeck and Dominic Calvert-Lewin would have fancied their chances of making the squad after re-igniting their careers this season, but it was not to be.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jarrod Bowen and James Garner were all on the margins, but ultimately didn’t do enough to earn selection for the World Cup.

Read – Maguire ‘shocked and gutted’ after World Cup snub

The 15 biggest omissions from Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup:

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