In 100 days, the World Cup 2026 officially kicks off, and between now and then, there are plenty of talking points to be discussed. The fringe players of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad still need to be decided, and with the Premier League drawing to a close, we take a look at who needs a big finish to the season to put their name in the hat.
Fringe Players Needing a Big Finish to the Season to Make Thomas Tuchel’s England Squad
Goalkeepers
Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad saw Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and Nick Pope selected as the three goalkeepers. Two of those men, Pickford and Henderson, are highly likely to make it on the plane; however, it’s the third spot that is currently up for grabs.
Nick Pope hasn’t performed particularly well this season. He’s kept just seven clean sheets this season and has struggled for form. What plays in his favour is that he’s performing in the Champions League, experience that could be vital in the squad. If he improves his form, he’ll likely be in the squad.
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The other potential pick is James Trafford. When he signed for Manchester City at the beginning of the season, the thinking was that he would be #1 and would, in due course, make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad. After a woeful start to life at City, Trafford was replaced (after just three Premier League games). He is now the number 2 and is largely used as the ‘cup keeper’, not the starter. It wouldn’t make any sense for Trafford to get a spot on the plane unless it’s for ‘experience’, much like Theo Walcott in 2006. He likely won’t play enough between now and the end of the season to find his form, meaning his pick wouldn’t make any sense.
Defender Decisions
There are several defenders on the fringe of the England squad who, with a big finish to the season, could make the trip to the World Cup.
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Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have played regularly under Michael Carrick and have performed well. If they continue to do so and can both avoid injuries, they could make the squad. Both bring experience to a fairly inexperienced back line. Shaw can also play left centre-back, meaning he might be a preferred option.
Full Back Slots
Djed Spence, Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Trent Alexander-Arnold will battle it out for the vacant full-back slots.
Spence made Tuchel’s most recent squad; however, he has been out of form for Spurs, so he must have a significant uptick in form if he is to be considered. Livramento was in fantastic form for Newcastle, although, having been extremely unlucky with injuries, he’s unlikely to get a look-in.
Lewis Hall must continue his impressive form for Newcastle and is deserving of a place in Tuchel’s squad. Playing in the Champions League should be a feather in the cap of the 21-year-old, and his impressive form and versatility should be enough for him to be selected.
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Myles Lewis-Skelly appeared to be thriving under Tuchel. The German manager handed the Arsenal full-back his England debut. Since then, however, he’s struggled for form, can’t make the Arsenal starting XI regularly and needs to break into his club side before being considered for the England squad.
Alexander-Arnold is an interesting conundrum for Tuchel. The former Liverpool man has missed a lot of games this season due to injury and struggled to settle in Spain under Xabi Alonso in a different system than the one he’s used to; however, he seems to be more comfortable under Arbeloa. He needs a big end to the season to put his name at the top of the list for Tuchel, and a good Champions League run, and a strong finish to the league could provide the platform for him to do so.
John Stones has played just 65 minutes since the beginning of December and needs to stay fit and get back into form. He’ll be selected but may not be the guaranteed starter he’s used to being at this year’s World Cup.
Midfielders
The midfielders under consideration for a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England Squad are going to struggle to break through unless they have a huge uptick in form. England are blessed with many high-level midfielders, and Tuchel is arguably spoilt for choice.
Kobbie Mainoo has broken back into the Manchester United squad and could be handed the call-up. Having shone for Gareth Southgate during Euro 2024, including starting in the final, he offers calmness on the ball and experience of tournament football.
Morgan Gibbs-White and Conor Gallagher need to perform to keep their respective club sides from a bitter relegation battle. Gibbs-White is Nottingham Forest’s talisman, and playing in the Europa League is allowing him to shine on the European scene. The competition for the number 10 spot is arguably too crowded for Gibbs-White to shine and break into the team for England.
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Gallagher did all the right things to try to get his England spot back. Having struggled for minutes for Atletico Madrid, Gallagher explored a move to the Premier League and signed for Tottenham Hotspur. Although this was the right move for his career in a bid to get in the World Cup squad, he’s performed poorly and likely won’t make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad unless something dramatic occurs.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Alex Scott, Mason Mount, Curtis Jones and James Garner have too big a gap to close to make the World Cup squad, despite Garner in particular being deserving of consideration.
Wide Attackers
Thomas Tuchel is inundated with wide-attacking players, all of whom will make his selection process more difficult.
Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, and Noni Madueke all appear to be Tuchel’s favourites, and all have performed well this season, so expect their names to be on the squad list.
Cole Palmer can operate anywhere across the front line, and if he can stay injury-free, he’ll be on the plane without a doubt. Eberechi Eze’s form has seen him keep club captain Martin Odegaard out of the Arsenal squad, making him a shoo-in for Tuchel’s squad.
Phil Foden seems un-droppable from England’s national team, regardless of form. He’s not in the blistering form he was ahead of the Euro 2024 tournament, scoring just seven league goals this season. In his 20 league starts, he’s been subbed off eight times and hasn’t set the world alight in recent games. With that being said, he’ll be on the plane regardless.
Jarrod Bowen is unlikely to make the squad with players in the same position being far more favoured by Tuchel.
Strikers
Harry Kane will obviously be the first name on the team sheet and rightfully so. He’s just notched his 500th career goal and is in impressive form.
Ollie Watkins is similar to the Foden situation. Despite being in poor form, the Aston Villa forward will likely make the squad due to a lack of other options. He’s notched just two goals in 2026 and eight all season in the league. He needs to improve his form dramatically if he is to feature off the bench for Tuchel in America.
The most in-form English striker is Ivan Toney, however, due to him playing in Saudi Arabia, his inclusion is deemed null by Tuchel and his team.
Those with an outside chance at making the squad are Tammy Abraham, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck. Whilst none of these three fringe players are likely to be in the equation, ending the season with plenty of goals will certainly make Tuchel question himself.
With just 100 days until the World Cup and plenty of England players on the fringes of the squad, expect an exciting end to the season.
