Tuchel Submits 55-Man England Squad For World Cup 2026
Thomas Tuchel has submitted his provisional England squad for the england squad for world cup 2026, with Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck, Alex Scott and Trent Alexander-Arnold among those believed to be on the 55-man list. England must now trim that group to 26 players before the tournament starts on 11 June in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Tuchel’s 55-man list
Fifa allowed participating nations to submit a long list of 55 players by midnight on Monday, and Tuchel used that route for England’s first major selection step. The Football Association is planning to release the final squad on Friday, 22 May, giving the head coach limited time to narrow the pool before the tournament opener.
Alexander-Arnold, Shaw, Welbeck and Scott had all been left out of Tuchel’s previous squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Their return to the preliminary group signals that the picture has shifted again, with the final cut still to come and several players now back in the frame after missing out last time.
England’s right-back squeeze
The most crowded area of the squad is right-back. Tuchel has preferred Reece James, Tino Livramento and Ben White there, but the group has been unsettled by availability issues.
White is a major doubt for the World Cup after a knee injury suffered in Sunday’s win at West Ham, while Livramento is currently unavailable. James has only recently returned from injury, leaving England with a selection decision that runs deeper than simple form.
Shaw brings a different case. He has not played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain, yet he has still made 34 appearances for his country and 36 for Manchester United this season. Welbeck, meanwhile, scored 14 goals for Brighton this season and has still not broken into one of Tuchel’s squads until now.
Scott and the final cut
Scott was first called up to the senior England squad in November, then omitted from Tuchel’s previous party. His place on the provisional list keeps him in contention for one of the 26 spots, but the head coach still has to pare the group down sharply before the World Cup begins.
That final decision will shape who travels to the USA, Canada and Mexico, and which names fall away when the squad is cut on Friday, 22 May. For players such as Shaw, Welbeck, Scott and Alexander-Arnold, the provisional list keeps the route open; the final squad will decide who gets on the plane.
