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Mixed reaction as Thomas Tuchel names 26-man England squad for 2026 World Cup

There is mixed reaction from fans on social media as Thomas Tuchel names his 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The call-ups sees a number of surprises including high-profile omissions, Harry Maguire being the first to express his disappointment with the news emerged, his Maguire’s mother Zoe also saying she was “disgusted” by the decision.

HLTCO wrote ahead of the 10am announcement: “The England squad is almost always fully leaked ahead of the official announcement; in reality it probably makes little difference to our chances of success but to me, it acts as a vehicle to show how deeply embedded the media are with it all, the hysteria, the gossip etc, it can’t be conducive to a group of players coming together and doing well when you know your every move, spat or slip up is likely to be leaked somewhere for the country to read about.”

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ENGLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

England boss Thomas Tuchel said, as per Sky Sports: “A lot of phone calls over the last three days. A lot of difficult decisions.

“I’m feeling between relief and excited and ready to go.

“Once the decisions are made it gives you clarity and I can’t wait to be in the plane.

“I love the tough decisions because they bring in the end clarity, a certain edge.

“It’s hard to please. We have to pick a squad we as a staff are convinced and really love.

“If there are doubts [from the players about coach’s love] you don’t play on the same level.

“Who do we really trust? Who delivered for us? Who created a culture especially from September onwards?

“The connection has to be there.

“It’s not fully out of the picture what the public and media thinks. What would I think from the outside? But mostly it’s about the energy and the trust and the connection between the players.

“A lot of thinking went into these soft factors. How do we get the chemistry right?”

 

Tuchel on Maguire, Foden, Palmer absence – autumn internationals key – “Difficult phone calls. I respect all of them. As players, personalities. All of them have been in camp, have been excellent.

“To reduce it was difficult, sometimes painfully difficult. Even in the phone calls I felt the emotion.

“I called all the players who were in camp with us at least one time. A lot of them deserved to be with us.

“In the end we went back to the evidence we had – in September, October, November, the leadership group and the team had very few changes in November… that felt we had a bit of fresh air, younger players who played with excitement, it was a good mix of young and old and brought the best out of the players. We want to recreate that spirit – that’s why we rely heavily on the group that was with us in those three camps.

“For some it was a positional thing and not bring five No 10s and make them play out of position.”

Tuchel on how he assessed players – “It’s a mix. What did they do for us? Does someone bring a different profile on a position? And then you monitor and watch them and it’s never out of the picture what you do for your club.

“In March we opened it up and gave everyone a chance. The decisions were difficult but somebody had to take them.”

Tuchel on the good phone calls – “Some amazing phone calls. The level of emotion and what it means to the players to get that call, even players who aren’t there for the first time.

“With every phone call to say they were selected, I was more sure we picked the right players.”

Tuchel on team work – “It will be the group and the team that is the main focus [not picking the best 26]. We need to be committed if we want to achieve what we want to achieve.”

Tuchel on daring to dream – “I can dream. But very quickly you go back and chop it up into steps you can influence.

“In March last year we said to the players ‘let’s try to win it’. I strongly believe if the energy and the commitment is right, this is really a brotherhood, the fans will notice and see.

“Let’s play with hunger, with excitement. The goal is clear. But the focus will now be on the 10 days of camp… otherwise it’s a lot to digest.”

Tuchel on sticking with one formation – “You can see in the selction we chose nine defenders for four positions, seven midfielders for three positions.

“The idea is to stick with this formation.

“Adaptation comes naturally in the defensive approach. There are so many formations on the other side. It should be flexible to adapt our defensive approach.

“Will we change our structure? We will try to stick with what makes us strong and we have a clear idea we have the key players in the position to make a difference.

“The target is more to reconnect with our values in the first 10 days and then prepare for Croatia in Kansas.”

Sky Sports‘ Kaveh Solhekol:

“I think it’s very shocking, very surprising.

“I think only Thomas Tuchel would’ve picked this England squad.

“I think he’s left out some of the most talented English players.

“This is probably the most shocking England squad since 1998, when Glenn Hoddle left out Paul Gascoigne.”

“You can make a very, very good case for saying not only should some of the players who have been left out be in the squad, but they should be in the starting XI.

“I mean, he’s left out players like Shaw, Maguire, Wharton, Palmer, Foden and Trent.

“These are some of the most talented English players.”

Sky Sports News’ Rob Dorsett: “We’ve known for a long time that Thomas Tuchel has a problem at No 10. He’s got an embarrassment of riches at No 10.

“He said all along he wouldn’t be able to take all of them. He would take the tough decisions and leave big names at home if they weren’t performing well or didn’t fit into his plans.

“He’s kept to his word on that in leaving Phil Foden and Cole Palmer out and Morgan Gibbs-White, who we need to mention.

“But is Gibbs-White ever going to get on the pitch? The No 10 debate will go on and on.

“The real surprise for me is Ivan Toney. He’s not been anywhere near the England squad. He’s played a total of seven minutes in the reign of Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel brought him in last June for two matches.

“He brought him on in the 88th minute when England were 3-1 down against Senegal.

“What could he show in that time? Toney had two touches in those seven minutes. He’s been selected on the basis of two touches.

“I’ll tell you why he’s done it. It’s going to be incredibly hot in America. Tuchel knows Harry Kane cannot play every minute.

“As a football fan, it saddens me that a player of the quality of Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be at this World Cup. I understand Tuchel’s arguments.

“He wants defenders who are primarily defenders. He wants his full backs to defend. He’s got so much attacking talent on the pitch, he wants his full-backs to sit deep and defend, which is not what Alexander-Arnold does. But he’s been outstanding for Real Madrid recently.

“The thought that he’s not there, the thought that Phil Foden is not there – one of my favourite footballers. I know he hasn’t performed for Man City, I know he’s been struggling with England. But him, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold. It’s a massive call for Tuchel to keep those players out.

“It’s going to be hot in the US. Tuchel will feel that heat if England’s performances do not start going well. There will be a lot of people out there, fans and media, who will be ready to attack him and say you’ve left some of the best players in the world at home.

“The main concern for England fans will be how many England players have scored goals at major tournaments on the international stage.

“Only three players are into double figures for international goals. That is woeful by comparison to a lot of the other nations at the World Cup.

“Harry Kane, England’s all-time top goalscorer, has 78, Marcus Rashford has 18 and Bukayo Saka has 14. Nobody else in this squad has scored double figures. That has to be a concern.”

As mentioned, there is mixed reaction as Thomas Tuchel names 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup…

@wenwei95: Everyone losing their minds about this squad. It’s completely fine. The squad is balanced and the profiles around the squad compliment our best players. I probably would’ve taken Hall and Mags, but does it matter that these fringe players (inc. Palmer and MGW) aren’t taken? No.

@statts1971: Really weak in defence midfield and up front, otherwise a great squad

@HarryScarfe22:
No Adam Wharton.
No Morgan Gibbs-White.
No Trent Alexander Arnold
No James Garner.
No Cole Palmer.
No Harry Maguire.
No Lewis Hall.
No Jarrod Bowen.
No Phil Foden (agree with this).
But includes Henderson, Burn, Toney, Spence, and Madueke. 🤦‍♂️
Absolutely shocking squad.

@CFCRobL: Some utterly bizarre selections, but there’s a very, very strong first XI and a self imposed lack of depth which may cost us – biggest concern is the lack of match winners from the bench.

@AnfieIdFix: I love him but Hendo has played in 3 world cups and his legs went years ago. Get he’s there for dressing room stuff but why not just take him as a coach. Must feel like a kick in the teeth for the likes of Jones, Garner, MGW, Wharton, Morton, Scott who all had fantastic seasons.

@James1986Tony:
Players who don’t deserve their place.
Trafford
Stones
Quansah
Burn
Henderson
Toney
Madueke

@edward_w97: There’ll never be an England squad that everyone likes. Core of around 16/17 that properly matter here. They’ll play most minutes. Hopefully 1st in the group, then 5 knockout wins needed, by whatever means necessary. If you demand comfort, tournament football’s not for you…

@TobyEvenden: Has he purposely tainted all expectations so we actually do something? Struggling to see other reasons 😂

@elisgrxce: I can’t tell you how happy I’ll be the day Jordan Henderson stops getting picked

@C0AKESY: No Foden, Palmer or Wharton is quite frankly baffling and some of the players he has picked are absolutely miles off it. But Hey Ho, Up The 3 Lions 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

@sammiej8787: No MGW, Scott or Wharton is criminal! Quansah over Maguire? And wtf is Henderson still playing for England in 2026?

@TheBluesFeed: The defence is what baffles me the most about this squad. James Stones Guehi O’Reilly is a good defence but on injury or rest and we drop off massively. With James and Stones injury prone!

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