This 2026 World Cup is a massive one for England. The Three Lions are still seeking their first World Cup title since 1966. This will be their first World Cup without Gareth Southgate on the touchline since 2014. While Southgate was never able to take England to the mountaintop, he brought them to the semi-finals in 2018 and the quarter-finals in 2022, in addition to two Euros finals in 2020 and 2024.
Thomas Tuchel is now in charge of the England team. It is the first time a non-Englishman has held the job since Fabio Capello left the role in 2012. Many fans hope Tuchel, who won a Champions League final with Chelsea, could take England that final step further to win a World Cup for the first time in 60 years. However, others worry that Southgate’s consistent, solid showings could come to an end with a new man in charge. With his squad announcement, Thomas Tuchel definitely made a statement that his team at this 2026 World Cup will look much different than recent England squads at big tournaments.
2026 England World Cup Full Squad
Goalkeepers (3): Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders (9): Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle), Jarrell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders (7): Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
Attackers (7): Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)
Analysis
One thing that Gareth Southgate was consistently criticized for, despite his relative success with England, was having a “lads’ club.” The same old players like Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson, Conor Gallagher, Kyle Walker and Mason Mount constantly started the biggest matches for England, even when they were widely considered not the best options at their positions. While it helped Southgate maintain consistency and get good results, it could also be the reason he never broke through to win a major trophy.
Whether you like his choices or not, Thomas Tuchel has definitely mixed things up with his 2026 World Cup squad. He has left out Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Wharton, players who were considered part of the future core of the England squad. Meanwhile, he also left out in-form players like Morgan Gibbs-White and Lewis Hall, who were tipped to break into the England squad for this World Cup. Tuchel also left out some of the older players that had been a part of a lot of big matches for England, like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Conor Gallagher.
Tuchel didn’t really seem to choose an identity for this squad that is apparent on the surface. He didn’t really lean into experience or youth, but picked an interesting mixture of both. He also didn’t seem to focus too much on the current form of players. Instead, he made some surprise inclusions like Jarrell Quansah, Ivan Toney and Djed Spence based on a variety of different reasons. Only time will tell if Tuchel has a method to his madness or if he is flying by the seat of his pants.
Projected England World Cup Starting XI
It seems impossible to know what Thomas Tuchel will do based on his squad decisions. However, if I were managing the Three Lions, this would be my best XI, lining up in a 4-3-3.
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Reece James, Mark Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly
Midfield: Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
England World Cup 2026 Odds
The Three Lions are +650 to win the World Cup and are -320 to win Group L. England is hoping this could be the year that they break their 60-year drought of winning the biggest trophy in the sport.
