England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his first squad for March’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
The former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich boss revealed a 26-player selection for the visits of Albania (March 21) and Latvia (March 24) to Wembley, with old faces and new blood included in equal measure.
Here, Sports Mole looks at the winners and losers from Tuchel’s first England selection.
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The standout name in Tuchel’s inaugural selection is undoubtedly Marcus Rashford, who has been recalled to the England camp after reigniting his career on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United.
The 27-year-old has set up four goals in nine appearances for Unai Emery‘s side and is set to represent his country for the first time since March 2024, having not made the cut for last year’s European Championships.
At the other end of the experience scale, Arsenal 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly has earned his first senior call-up before even playing for the Under-21s after unexpectedly becoming the Gunners’ first-choice left-back this season.
Lewis-Skelly has benefitted from the absences of Luke Shaw and Lewis Hall due to injury, while Reece James, Jarell Quansah, Kyle Walker and Dan Burn – receiving his first call-up – are also in Tuchel’s defensive ranks.
Further forward, Tuchel has thrown in a shock selection in the shape of 34-year-old Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, who is back in the Three Lions’ squad for the first time since November 2023.
The former Liverpool and Al-Ettifaq man has set up six goals in 38 appearances for Ajax this season, often wearing the captain’s armband for the Amsterdam giants and helping them reach the last 16 of the Europa League.
Tuchel has also included four goalkeepers in his first squad, meaning that there is a spot for Burnley’s James Trafford, who has kept an astounding 25 clean sheets in 36 Championship games this season, conceding a mere 11 goals.
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While Trafford joins Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson and Jordan Pickford in the goalkeeping troupe, Newcastle’s Nick Pope misses out following his recent recovery from injury.
However, the bulk of the big names missing out lie in the final third, as Manchester City‘s Jack Grealish is not included, despite impressing under Lee Carsley during last year’s UEFA Nations League.
Grealish has started just six Premier League games and four Champions League matches for Pep Guardiola‘s side in the 2024-25 season, and he is one of a few notable attackers to be overlooked by the England boss.
There is also no space in the ranks for Lewis-Skelly’s fellow Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri, who has enjoyed a similar rise to prominence this season, although the 17-year-old is expected to earn his maiden call-up for the Under-21s instead.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins is a shock omission at a first glance, but the striker was substituted with an injury against Club Brugge in the Champions League in midweek, which could explain his absence.
However, Nottingham Forest duo Morgan Gibbs-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi have also not done enough to be included in Tuchel’s first squad, despite spearheading the Tricky Trees’ unexpected charge for Champions League football this season.
Adam Wharton, James Maddison, Djed Spence and Conor Gallagher are also omitted from the German’s squad, as is Arsenal defender Ben White, who has only just returned from injury but has also been in a self-imposed exile from the England squad.
Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
