There is now only a month to go until England head to the World Cup 2026 (June 11 to July 19). The competition will take place in Canada, Mexico and the USA, and sees 48 qualified teams fight for the ultimate prize in football. Head coach Thomas Tuchel has to name a 26-player squad before the end of the month—and we now have an exact date for when we know who’s on the plane.
When will the England World Cup squad be announced?
England must name a 55-man provisional squad by Monday, May 11, with the final 26-man squad submitted to FIFA no later than Saturday, May 30. But Thomas Tuchel will officially announce the England men’s senior squad for the FIFA 2026 World Cup on Friday, May 22. An additional nine players can also fly to the United States and take part in training in case of any injuries before the opening fixture.
When are the England games?
England will head to Florida for a pre-World Cup training camp in early June—where they will play two friendly games against New Zealand (Saturday, June 6, 9pm) and Costa Rica (Wednesday, June 10, 9pm).
The World Cup campaign begins against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, June 17 (9pm BST), before Ghana in Boston on Tuesday, June 23 (9pm) and a group stage game against Panama in New Jersey on Saturday, June 27 (10pm).
Who will make the squad?
Almost guaranteed in the England squad include the likes of Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa, Harry Maguire, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers, Reece James and Bukayo Saka.
While the likes of Nico O’Reilly, Ben White, Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo, James Garner, Jordan Henderson, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jarrod Bowen, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope, John Stones, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White, Conor Gallagher, Curtis Jones, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, and Ollie Watkins will all hope they’ve done enough this season to make the squad.
Somewhat controversially, Trent Alexander-Arnold already looks like the first big-name player to miss out on making the England team for the 2026 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel will name England’s World Cup squad on Friday, May 22, 2026.