Thomas Tuchel has named a 35-man squad for England’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, and while the recalls have grabbed the headlines, the omissions tell an equally important story. With this being the final camp before Tuchel picks his 26 for North America, several players are now facing a very real fight to board that plane.
Interest in the squad announcement has already spiked across betting UK markets as fans weigh up who makes the cut. The door isn’t completely shut, but it’s closing fast, and only exceptional club form between now and then will force it back open.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Few omissions carry as much weight as this one. Alexander-Arnold has been one of England’s most gifted players for years, but life at Real Madrid has not gone as planned, with injuries disrupting his first season in Spain and his place in Tuchel’s thinking slipping as a result. He has not featured for England since June 2025, with Jarell Quansah now described as ahead of him at right-back.
Ollie Watkins
12 months ago, Watkins was one of the first names on Tuchel’s teamsheet after his Euro 2024 semi-final winner against the Netherlands. His form at Aston Villa this season has been so poor that he has managed just three goals in 2026, and Tuchel has moved on entirely, opting instead for Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke to compete for the Kane understudy role. Watkins still has time to turn things around before the final squad announcement in May, but the window is closing fast.
Danny Welbeck
This is the omission that will frustrate the most neutral observers. Welbeck has scored 10 goals for Brighton this season at the age of 35, making him the joint top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League, and Brighton fans have been backing him all season through every bet calculator and odds comparison going. He has not played for England since 2018, but his form has been impossible to ignore. The door is not shut, but with Calvert-Lewin now in the squad, Welbeck’s path has narrowed considerably.
Luke Shaw
Shaw returned to full fitness this season and has been one of Manchester United’s better performers under Michael Carrick, yet Tuchel has left him out entirely, with Nico O’Reilly now the clear frontrunner for the left-back spot. Shaw started the Euro 2024 final, which makes his current international position one of the more surprising stories of this World Cup build-up, and with the squad announcement coming in May, he is running out of time to change Tuchel’s mind.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
A year ago, Lewis-Skelly looked set to be a key part of England’s future, having scored on his international debut and impressed every time he was called up. The problem is that he has not started a Premier League game for Arsenal since January, falling behind Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie in Mikel Arteta’s plans. Tuchel has been consistent in selecting players on the basis of regular club football, and Lewis-Skelly, through no fault of his own ability, is simply not getting it.
Alex Scott and Curtis Jones
Both Scott and Jones were part of England’s extended picture earlier in the season, but have drifted since. Scott earned his first senior call-up in November but did not make it onto the pitch, and has not done enough at Bournemouth to force his way back in. Jones, meanwhile, has seen his Liverpool minutes become increasingly limited, and with a crowded midfield already overflowing with options, neither player is close to Tuchel’s thinking right now.