Ranking every player in Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad

With the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA now upon us, England are in with a fabulous opportunity of ending a 60-year wait for a second star on the shirt.

Not since 1966 have the Three Lions lifted the famous trophy but with arguably the most high profile manager in the nation’s history in charge, they could well topple the likes of France, Argentina and Spain to win the biggest prize that football has to offer.

Thomas Tuchel has a squad of players out in North America and as the tournament plays out, all 26 squad members will be ranked to determine who holds the most importance to the German.

So, let’s get stuck into things, shall we?

Here’s what we think of each player in the squad…

Goalkeepers

Jordan Pickford has been England’s number one since 2018 and the Everton star remains first choice heading into 2026.

It’s unlikely we’ll see either Dean Henderson or James Trafford called upon but stranger things have happened. They fought off competition from the likes of Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale to make the squad.

Defence

It’s safe to say the defensive spots in Tuchel’s England squad were the most controversial. Guehi comes into the tournament as England’s best defender while Konsa and Stones remain fine choices. Yet, the decision to leave out Harry Maguire caused an almighty stir.

That said, you would be confident in any of those three players performing well in the absence of Maguire.

In the full-back positions, Nico O’Reilly and Reece James are the undisputed starters but there really isn’t much quality beyond that. Lewis Hall and Myles Lewis-Skelly were both not picked while Tino Livramento, who was initially selected, will miss the tournament due to calf strain.

As a result, Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah was called up as a replacement.

Midfielders

Right now, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson are the two starting central midfielders in Tuchel’s England side, allowing the Three Lions’ attacking stars freedom to shine.

Jude Bellingham will be in tough competition with Morgan Rogers to play at the top of the midfield but is likely to start over the Villa man. Eze is unlikely to get too many minutes but expect Jordan Henderson to get some action. He is a vital part of England’s leadership group under the current regime.

Forwards

Captain Harry Kane is undoubtedly the most important part of this England squad after starring once again for Bayern Munich. Perhaps surprisingly, Tuchel picked two back up strikers in the form of Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney. Watkins is likely to play second fiddle while Toney will be there in the eventuality of the dreaded spot-kicks. He is one of the best penalty takers about.

On the right, despite his fitness, Bukayo Saka is the leading winger and then it is very much a flip of a coin to determine who starts on the left of the attack in each game. Both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon represent fine options.

Noni Madueke feels like one of the spare parts of the squad but given Saka is managing an Achilles problem, he could be line to start one or two games.