Thomas Tuchel submitted a 55-man provisional England World Cup squad on Monday, his first long list as manager ahead of the tournament that opens on 11 June.
The list, permitted by Fifa, is the maximum long squad nations could name and will be trimmed to a final 26, with the Football Association planning to release England's final contingent on Friday, 22 May.
Among the players believed to be on Tuchel's provisional list are Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck and Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. All four — Alexander-Arnold, Shaw, Welbeck and Scott — were left out of Tuchel's previous squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, a reversal that underscores how quickly selection can change ahead of the World Cup.
The numbers underline the tight calendar and competitive choices. Fifa allowed each nation to submit 55 players; Tuchel must select 26 for the final roster that will travel to a tournament played across the USA, Canada and Mexico. England are drawn in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama and open their campaign against Croatia on June 18, a week after the World Cup starts on 11 June.
Player form and fitness are driving the headlines. Luke Shaw has not played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain but has 34 caps and made 36 appearances for Manchester United this season. Danny Welbeck earned his place after a 14-goal season for Brighton, while Alex Scott — who received his first senior England call-up in November — has been rewarded with inclusion in the provisional list despite being omitted from Tuchel's friendlies squad.
At right-back, the picture is more fraught. Tuchel has shown a preference for Reece James, Tino Livramento and Ben White at that position, but injuries and availability have complicated that plan. Ben White is a major doubt for the World Cup after suffering a knee injury in Arsenal's win at West Ham on Sunday. Tino Livramento is currently unavailable, though there remains hope he will be fit for the tournament, and Reece James has only recently returned from injury.
Those conflicting signals create a clear tension for selection. Tuchel left out several players from the recent friendlies only to include them on the 55-man list, and he must now balance form, fitness and positional cover when he cuts to 26. The right-back spot in particular — where England once looked settled — is suddenly a headline decision because one of the three preferred options is injured, one is a recent returnee and one is still working back to full availability.
Tuchel and England are also preparing for their first World Cup without Gareth Southgate in a decade, which adds managerial pressure to get the final group right. The Football Association's planned announcement on Friday, 22 May will be the first definitive answer to which 26 players will travel to North America, and it will come down to how Tuchel assesses recovery timelines and match readiness over the next week.
The real choice that will shape England's campaign is straightforward: pick a right-back who can be relied on from the start or gamble on recovering injured options, and accept the consequences for squad balance. Tuchel has until the FA's Friday announcement to decide, and his selection there — especially at right-back — is likely to be the single most consequential call before England face Croatia on June 18.
