Thomas Tuchel has officially submitted his preliminary England squad for the upcoming World Cup, with key names such as Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck, and Alex Scott reportedly included in the extended list.
Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is also understood to have secured a spot on the 55-man provisional roster, which was required to be submitted to FIFA by midnight on Monday. The world football governing body allowed participating nations to name a long list of players for the tournament, which kicks off on June 11 across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
From this initial pool, Tuchel will now refine the squad down to a final group of 26 players. The Football Association (FA) has not officially announced the provisional squad, with plans to release England’s final tournament squad on Friday, May 22.
Notably, Alexander-Arnold, Shaw, Welbeck, and Scott were all omitted from Tuchel’s previous squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. However, their inclusion in the preliminary list keeps their hopes of traveling to North America alive.
The selection of Alexander-Arnold is particularly intriguing given Tuchel’s current depth at right-back, compounded by injury concerns. The former Liverpool star faced an uphill battle for a place, with Tuchel favoring Chelsea’s Reece James, Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, and Arsenal’s Ben White in that position. Last year, Tuchel even suggested that Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarrell Quansah, primarily a center-back, was ahead of Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order for the right-back role.
However, Ben White’s status is now a major doubt for the World Cup after suffering a knee injury during Arsenal’s win at West Ham on Sunday. Meanwhile, Livramento is currently unavailable, though there is optimism that the Newcastle defender will recover in time for the tournament. James, Tuchel’s first-choice right-back, has only recently returned from his own injury layoff.
Elsewhere, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw could earn an international recall in time for the World Cup. Shaw has not played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain, primarily due to persistent injuries. However, the 34-cap full-back has regained regular playing time at club level, making 36 appearances for United this season.
Danny Welbeck has been a consistent scorer for Brighton this season, netting 14 goals for Fabian Hurzeler’s side. Despite his form, the veteran forward has yet to break into one of Tuchel’s squads.
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott was called up to the senior England squad for the first time in November but was left out of Tuchel’s previous selection. His inclusion in the provisional list suggests he remains in contention for a spot in the final 26.
The 2026 World Cup promises to be a fiercely competitive tournament, and Tuchel’s final squad selection will be closely watched as England aims to make a deep run on the global stage.
