England World Cup squad announcement: Ruthless Thomas Tuchel leaves big names out of 26-man squad

Ruthless Thomas Tuchel has left a number of high-profile names out of his England squad for the World Cup, while striker Ivan Toney has earned a shock recall.

"I love the tough decisions," Tuchel said on the squad being announced, and he has been true to his word.

Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire are the eye-catching names to have missed out on selection after Tuchel confirmed his 26-man squad for this summer's tournament in North America.

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England's World Cup squad in full...

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

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

Midfielders: Declan Rice (Arsenal), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Kobbie Mainoo (Man Utd), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal).

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

'Most shocking squad since 1998'

Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol has described the squad as "probably the most shocking since 1998" and it is England's World Cup absentees, plus the leaks on the eve of Friday's announcement that have provided the biggest talking points.

Furious Maguire posted on social media he was "shocked and gutted" to miss out on a squad Tuchel told players about on Thursday, with the steady stream of information allowing onlookers to piece together the personnel in advance.

Foden and Palmer were the biggest names to miss after below-par club seasons with Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, plus a huge amount of competition in that area of the field. Real Madrid right-back Alexander-Arnold is another bold omission, albeit a more predictable one having not won a cap since last summer.

On the absence of Palmer, Foden, Maguire and Alexander-Arnold, Tuchel said: "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[ing] five No 10s and making them play out of position."

In-form Nottingham Forest forward Morgan Gibbs-White, Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, Newcastle defender Lewis Hall, Man Utd's Luke Shaw and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen are other notable absentees as Tuchel made an eye-catching first tournament selection.

Toney earns shock recall

The surprise name included is Ivan Toney, who has played just seven minutes of international football since Euro 2024.

The former Brentford striker told Sky Sports in February that he still harboured hopes of being included in the World Cup squad and his 32 goals in 32 Saudi Pro League games for Al-Ahli this season have seen him earn a shock recall.

He will provide the back up for captain Harry Kane alongside Ollie Watkins, who has also been recalled to the squad after scoring 10 goals for Aston Villa since being left out of March's internationals.

Newcastle defender Tino Livramento has been selected despite missing the past month with a thigh issue, while similarly versatile Spurs full-back Djed Spence has been included despite breaking his jaw on Tuesday.

Other notable inclusions include Man Utd midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, Arsenal duo Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah, and the experienced duo of John Stones and Jordan Henderson.

Bournemouth's Alex Scott will join up with England out in Miami, even though he has not been included in Tuchel's initial squad.

It's understood Tuchel wanted to boost his playing options with the Arsenal contingent of players due to join up late with the rest of the squad because of the Champions League final. England will be without Rice, Saka, Madueke and Eze for their first pre-tournament friendly against New Zealand.

England kick-off Group L against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday June 17, before playing Ghana on Tuesday June 23 and Panama on Saturday June 27.

On daring to dream about England's World Cup chances, Tuchel said: "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 has kept to his word with big decisions'

Analysis from Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett:

England's leakiest World Cup squad announcement ever.

The news started breaking about 6pm last night when we heard from Maguire, who wasn't included. Then we got the news that Toney was in from out of nowhere.

They are two of the big headlines, with the omissions of Palmer, Foden and Alexander-Arnold being the other big stories.

England leaving out those high-profile names will send shock waves around world football.

We've known for a long time that 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 Foden and Palmer out and Morgan Gibbs-White, who we need to mention. But is Gibbs-White ever going to get on the pitch?

When it cams to Palmer and Foden, I expected maybe one of them would make it and not both, because Tuchel has talked about his extensive No 10 options for a long time. He has a wealth of talent in that position. We knew Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers were going to go, but how many more No 10s did he need and how many could he fit in? The No 10 debate will go on and on.

There is no doubt Tuchel has some really interesting questions to answer.

It's been the most bizarre England squad announcement I've known in four tournaments. Tuchel has certainly put his stamp on things and he doesn't mind making the big decisions and leaving the big names out.

'Only Tuchel would have picked this squad'

Sky Sports' News Kaveh Solhekol at Wembley:

"I think it's very shocking, very surprising.

"I think only 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."

Your views: Mixed reaction to Tuchel's squad...

CallumH16: We have been used to squads being selected on the basis of form under Southgate, which is why I think this squad selection comes as such a shock. It's horrific from Tuchel! There are many players that haven't played enough minutes this season: Stones, James, Henderson, Livramento.

Tom: We have had years of moaning about England managers being too cautious picking the obvious players. It's a breath of fresh air to have a manager going against the grain. Shows leadership and confidence.

Mcgly 93: For years England fans used to go mad at managers for taking players all because of their name. There's an argument here that the gaffer has gone against that so fair play. We will see what happens however if it goes pear-shaped then its P45, do not pass go and do not collect 200...

Joe: What an embarrassing day for English football! And I was there for the 98 squad announcement!

AdamTilley: Has Tuchel been watching the Premier League this season??

Big Dan: Weakest England squad I've ever seen heading into a tournament! That defence is horrible to look at. Morgan Gibbs-White had to be included. Putting the Arsenal front three in is ridiculous, he's done that based on winning the league as all three have been poor.

Gary McKnight: The first ever England manager (especially in my lifetime anyway) to not pick players on reputation. Tuchel hasn't caved in to outside pressure and I respect that. I trust that man!

James: Everyone please calm down. We aren't used to a serial winner as manager. The vast majority of players left out of the squad are out of form. Morgan Gibbs-white and Lewis Hall are unlucky but the player ahead of them are also quality.

What's next for England?

England will depart for the United States on Monday, June 1, 16 days prior to their opening group encounter against Croatia (Wednesday, June 17).

They will be based in Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri during the tournament.

England have World Cup warm-up matches with New Zealand on June 6 (9pm UK time) and Costa Rica on June 10 (9pm UK time) before their tournament opener against Croatia.

England's World Cup Group L games

• England vs Croatia - June 17, Dallas, 9pm (UK time)
• England vs Ghana - June 23, Boston, 9pm (UK time)
• Panama vs England - June 27, New York-New Jersey, 10pm (UK time)

World Cup key dates

• Group stage: June 11-27
• Round of 32: June 28 to July 3
• Round of 16: July 4-7
• Quarter-finals: July 9-11
• Semi-finals: July 14-15
• Third-place play-off ('Bronze final'): July 18
• Final: July 19

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