Thomas Tuchel has left Cole Palmer and Phil Foden out of England's final squad of 2026, handing first senior call-ups to Jobe Bellingham and Fulham teenager Josh King for the Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.
The squad, announced on Friday morning, is Tuchel's boldest selection yet. Palmer is fit and available — Chelsea had told England he was ready — yet the 24-year-old, who has three goals and three assists in nine Premier League appearances this season, is overlooked again and will end 2026 with just two England appearances, both in March. Foden, who also missed the World Cup, is left out again, as are Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton.
Two new faces in midfield
In their place come the stories of the day. Jobe Bellingham, 21, joins older brother Jude in a senior England squad for the first time after impressing for Borussia Dortmund, where he moved from Sunderland in the summer of 2025. Jobe has captained England Under-21s, and his promotion comes with Alex Scott not ready through injury and Myles Lewis-Skelly suspended for the Croatia game — a shortage in central midfield that Tuchel admitted had shaped his thinking.
King, 19, has caught the eye at Fulham this season and trained with the senior squad before the World Cup. Tuchel praised the teenager's character and his start to the season, and his call-up, first reported in full by TNT, is a reward for a breakthrough campaign at Craven Cottage. Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha is also included among the forwards.
The full squad, as listed by Sports Mole, is: goalkeepers Jordan Pickford, Jason Steele and James Trafford; defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence and Ben White; midfielders Elliot Anderson, Jobe Bellingham, Jude Bellingham, James Garner, Josh King, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Declan Rice; forwards Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Rio Ngumoha and Morgan Rogers.
White returns, Rice back and Kane leads
There are returns as well as arrivals. Arsenal defender Ben White is in for the first time since March after missing the World Cup and the September and October squads through injury, while Rice is back in midfield. Captain Kane, fresh from signing a new Bayern Munich deal, leads the forward line as usual.
One pick will raise eyebrows for a different reason: Calvert-Lewin is selected just a day after Leeds boss Daniel Farke described a foot setback in his recovery — England are clearly backing the striker to be ready for Wembley.
So what: one point from glory, and a message to Palmer
England sit second in Group A3 on nine points from four games, three behind Spain, and need just one point from their last two matches to reach the Nations League quarter-finals in March. They host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday, November 12 — a side they beat 7-0 last month — before travelling to face world champions Spain on Sunday, November 15.
For Palmer and Foden, though, the message is stark. Two of the Premier League's most gifted attackers are fit, playing, and still not trusted by Tuchel for the games that decide England's group. With no more camps this year, both now face months of club football knowing their international futures are on hold — and that younger men have just been handed their places.
Beyond the Final Whistle: this is Tuchel picking the squad he wants, not the squad the headlines demand — and that takes courage. Palmer's omission will dominate the debate, but backing a 19-year-old from Fulham and Jude Bellingham's younger brother for two decisive Nations League games says Tuchel trusts form, character and fit over reputation. If England take the point they need, he will be vindicated; if they do not, Palmer's absence will be the first question asked. Should Palmer have been in this squad? Let us know in the comments.
