After March's friendlies provided Thomas Tuchel with more questions than answers, we’re taking a look at the England 2026 World Cup squad odds for clues on who is likely to be on the plane to America this summer.
Tuchel can name up to 26 players in his official travelling party, with replacements then only allowed due to “serious injury or illness”, and here are some of the dilemmas he is facing:
Strikers
Will Watkins benefit from lack of friendly fire?
In the absence of Harry Kane , no one really took their chance to press claims for a deputy striker role as England drew 1-1 with Uruguay via a Ben White tap-in and then lost 1-0 to Japan . Neither Dominic Solanke nor Dominic Calvert-Lewin were overly impressive against Uruguay, and they can now be backed at 9/4 and 5/2 respectively to make the squad.
Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were used as false nines versus Japan, and neither produced a display that suggested England could flourish without their record goalscorer. Palmer is still as short as 1/8 to be among the travelling forwards, with only Kane, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon ahead of him in this section, but Tuchel ominously warned that 2/7 chance Foden is not guaranteed a spot.
“I would say he was excellent in camp but, yeah, he struggles to show it on the pitch,” said Tuchel , whilst also referencing Foden’s lack of playing time for Manchester City. “It’s not a guarantee he will come.” Eberechi Eze (1/3), Marcus Rashford (1/3), Noni Madueke (8/13) and Jarrod Bowen (8/11) are other odds-on shots to travel, but perhaps the biggest winner from last month’s camp might be proven Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins (11/8), who was left at home.
Attacking Midfielders
Bellingham and Rogers the key No 10 contenders
Jude Bellingham is one of the highest-profile players in the England set-up, so the fact he is not a guaranteed starter at the World Cup suggests Tuchel may have potential issues with the Real Madrid star.
However, sitting out the recent double-header certainly strengthened his case, given how things went without him, and Bellingham is 1/7 to be on the plane, with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers even shorter at 1/12 as he vies for a similar number 10 role. With the likes of Eze and Palmer able to provide cover in this position, the chances of Morgan Gibbs-White (4/1), Mason Mount (13/2) or Curtis Jones (7/1) receiving a surprise call-up seem slim.
Midfield
Mainoo, Wharton and Garner fighting for midfield places
When it comes to England’s engine room in midfield, Declan Rice (1/50) and Elliot Anderson (1/10) appear to stand head and shoulders above the rest in Tuchel’s eyes. It is also believed that Jordan Henderson’s experience and leadership qualities make him a good bet to board the trans- Atlantic flight, and he is just 4/11 to feature in the final 26. Beyond those central midfield options, the waters are a little more muddied, though.
Kobbie Mainoo’s resurgence at Manchester United under Michael Carrick earned him an international recall, but the 20-year-old was quiet when starting against Japan and is 4/7 to make the World Cup cut.
Adam Wharton is 4/6 after he produced a solid performance against Uruguay after coming on at half-time, but James Garner’s player-of-the-match display on his senior debut in that contest gives him a chance of entering the shake-up at Evens. Conor Gallagher (7/1) and Tottenham youngster Archie Gray (8/1) only look set to come into the reckoning via injuries elsewhere.
Goalkeepers
Trafford at centre of race for third keeper slot
Jordan Pickford (1/40) will be England’s number one choice between the sticks, just as he has been since the 2018 World Cup , with Dean Henderson (1/12) again acting as deputy. With Nick Pope (6/1) struggling at Newcastle and slipping down the pecking order, that leaves on-loan Magpies team-mate Aaron Ramsdale (13/8) and Manchester City second string James Trafford (4/7) competing for the third spot.
Trafford barely had a touch when handed his full debut versus Uruguay, but he has definitely boosted his chances with some excellent cup exploits for City . The 23-year-old’s superb triple save helped the Blues weather a tough opening in their 2-0 Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal, and he then made a good stop in the second half, while he kept out a Mohamed Salah penalty in the 4-0 FA Cup rout of Liverpool .
Defenders
Maguire, the big market mover at the back
In defence, Marc Guehi (1/50) and Ezri Konsa (1/16) are shoo-ins, while Tuchel says John Stones (1/4) has “a lot of credit in the bank” despite not starting a league match for City since October and leaving the recent camp with a calf issue. Dan Burn (2/5) and Fikayo Tomori ( 6/4) are competing for Tuchel’s favour, but the big market mover has been Harry Maguire (1/3), who impressed versus Uruguay after 18 months in the international wilderness. Trevoh Chalobah is a potential wildcard at 9/2 after being one of Chelsea’s most consistent performers this season, but he must first return from an ankle injury.
Nico O’Reilly (1/6) is another who should be getting his suitcase ready, especially after popping up with some crucial goals for City this term, including the Carabao Cup final brace . Newcastle’s Lewis Hall (1/4) emerged as the player most likely to compete with O’Reilly for left-back duties after featuring in both friendlies, while Magpies team-mate Tino Livramento (2/5) is a versatile option, which means Luke Shaw (9/4) is expected to miss out.
Reece James (4/11) will start at right-back if fit, and Tuchel appears to have a soft spot for Tottenham’s Djed Spence (8/11). That will make it hard for divisive Arsenal defender White (6/4) to get past being booed in the recent friendlies, despite netting against Uruguay , while the mercurial Trent Alexander-Arnold (5/2) needs to produce some magic for Real Madrid to earn a recall.
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