{"id":459,"date":"2026-03-29T06:12:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T06:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=459"},"modified":"2026-03-29T06:12:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T06:12:47","slug":"the-england-squad-wed-take-to-the-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/?p=459","title":{"rendered":"the England squad we\u2019d take to the 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Thomas Tuchel will use the season’s final international break to finalise his England plans, with the German having opted for a 35-man group, split into two halves, for March’s fixtures with Uruguay and Japan.<\/b><\/div>\n
Much has been made about Tuchel’s latest squad, with ominous exclusions for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw, among others.<\/div>\n
With the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup well underway, we’ve put together the 26-man group we’d be taking to the United States – as things stand.<\/div>\n

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford<\/h4>\n
Jordan Pickford is unarguably England’s number one with the Everton goalkeeper having never let the Three Lions down. The data backs up his status. According to Opta, since the start of the 2022-23 season, Pickford has recorded a whopping 18 expected goals prevented, comfortably the highest figure in the Premier League.<\/div>\n

Dean Henderson is the most reliable deputy to England’s number one, while James Trafford is arguably the longer-term future. The 23-year-old should join Pickford and Henderson to gain valuable tournament experience.<\/p>\n

Defenders: Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Lewis Hall, Nico O’Reilly, Tino Livramento<\/h4>\n
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s snub<\/a> from the latest squad is an indication that he does not feature in Thomas Tuchel’s plans. Djed Spence and Tino Livramento were both preferred in the original squad, while Ben White was recalled from a three-year absence after Jarell Quansah’s withdrawal.<\/div>\n
Alexander-Arnold has failed to win Tuchel’s trust, but the Real Madrid right-back is a unicorn of a footballer whose talents should be utilised. Reece James may be the first-choice, but the option of Alexander-Arnold to change a game should be considered.<\/div>\n

In central defence, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi have become fixtures in the England squad, which aided by the experience of John Stones and Harry Maguire brings balance to the backline.<\/p>\n

Lewis Hall and Nico O’Reilly can duke it out for the left-back position, with Tino Livramento offering cover on either flank. O’Reilly and James can double up as midfield options.<\/p>\n

Midfielders: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden<\/h4>\n
Elliot Anderson’s autumn performances seem to have earned the Nottingham Forest midfielder the role as Declan Rice’s sidekick in central midfield.<\/div>\n

Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo offer alternatives, with each possessing the ball-retention security that England have often lacked in major tournaments.<\/p>\n

The biggest battle for the team sheet is at number ten. Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden are all attractive options to the England manager.<\/p>\n

Forwards: Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Ivan Toney<\/h5>\n
Harry Kane is the first name in the squad and could become the Ballon d’Or favourite with a strong tournament this summer.<\/div>\n
In an open battle to offer striking support, we’ve opted for the currently exiled Ivan Toney. Toney’s hit 34 goals in 38 games for Al-Hilal this season, while a nerveless penalty record increases his appeal.<\/div>\n
Bukayo Saka’s form is a concern in the lead-up to the tournament but the Arsenal winger has been a reliable performer for England. Noni Madueke offers a like-for-like alternative, while the aforementioned Foden and Palmer also offer right-wing options.<\/div>\n
Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford will compete for the left-sided role, with the former perhaps the frontrunner as things stand.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thomas Tuchel will use the season’s final international break to finalise his England plans, with the German having opted for a 35-man group, split into two halves, for March’s fixtures with Uruguay and Japan. Much has been made about Tuchel’s latest squad, with ominous exclusions for Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw, among others. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportings.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}