Thomas Tuchel, the renowned football manager, has recently submitted his provisional England squad for the upcoming World Cup. This preliminary list includes notable players such as Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck and Alex Scott. The inclusion of Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is also a significant highlight.
FIFA, the governing body of world football, has allowed participating nations to submit an extended list of 55 players for the tournament that commences on June 11th. This decision provides managers with a broader pool to select their final team from. Following this directive, Tuchel will now focus on trimming down his squad to a final group of 26 players who will represent England in the tournament hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Football Association (FA) has not yet officially announced this provisional squad. However, they plan to release England's final team for the tournament on Friday, May 22nd.
Players' prospects in making it to final squad
Alexander-Arnold, Shaw, Welbeck and Scott were all excluded from Tuchel's previous squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan but are still contenders for making it into next month’s transatlantic journey.
There is considerable intrigue surrounding whether Alexander-Arnold will make it into the final cut due to current injury concerns at right-back position within Tuchel’s team. Despite being a former Liverpool player with impressive credentials under his belt he faces stiff competition from Chelsea's Reece James; Newcastle's Tino Livramento; Arsenal's Ben White; and Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarrell Quansah who was previously favoured by Tuchel over Arnold.
However recent injuries have cast doubt over White’s participation in the World Cup, and Livramento’s availability is also uncertain. James, Tuchel's first-choice right-back, has only recently returned from injury.
Potential international recall?
Manchester United left-back Shaw could potentially earn an international recall in time for the tournament. Despite not having played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain due to injuries, he has been performing consistently at club level with 36 appearances this season.
Welbeck has been a regular scorer for Brighton this season with 14 goals but is yet to break into one of Tuchel's squads. Bournemouth midfielder Scott was called up into the senior England squad for the first time in November but was omitted from Tuchel's previous party.
The anticipation surrounding England’s final World Cup squad continues to build as fans eagerly await official confirmation on May 22nd. With several players vying for limited spots and battling injuries, it will be interesting to see who makes it onto Thomas Tuchel’s final list.
