England omit Dominic Calvert-Lewin as ex-Leeds United loanee Djed Spence makes World Cup squad | OneFootball

Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been left out of England’s 2026 World Cup squad, with Thomas Tuchel confirming his 26-man group on Friday. According to yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk, former Elland Road loanee Djed Spence is included.

Tuchel selected Harry Kane, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney as his three strikers. Toney has not featured in a Tuchel England squad for almost 12 months, last appearing in a June friendly against Senegal, and he has 32 goals in 32 Saudi Pro League games this season.

Calvert-Lewin scored his 14th Premier League goal in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Brighton, making him the joint-highest scoring Englishman in the top flight. He is level with Watkins and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, who is also absent.

He revived his international prospects in March by ending a five-year wait for England involvement. Called up for the Uruguay friendly, he played just over half an hour off the bench, then returned to Thorp Arch as planned before the Japan game.

Speaking on Leeds’ official podcast, he said the March camp felt great and that playing at a World Cup is a dream for any English kid. He added that selection is the manager’s call, and all he could do was keep scoring and see what happens.

Spence, now back at Tottenham, is part of Tuchel’s squad for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico. The full-back joined Leeds on loan in summer 2023, made seven appearances under Daniel Farke, then returned to North London in January. Gabriel Gudmundsson will represent Sweden, Ao Tanaka goes with Japan and Noah Okafor with Switzerland, while Anton Stach has missed out on Germany.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk