Watch England head coach Thomas Tuchel explain his selections after naming his first squad.
Marcus Rashford has been recalled by Tuchel in a squad that was full of surprises ahead of England playing Albania and Latvia at Wembley in their first World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
There is also an unexpected return to the squad for Jordan Henderson. The Ajax midfielder’s last appearance was in October 2023 against Australia.
Kyle Walker has also been named, while Myles Lewis-Skelly earns his first senior call-up. The Arsenal midfielder, who can also play at left-back, never earned an U21 cap, but he did play for England at lower youth levels.
Newcastle defender Dan Burn has also been included, having never featured for England at any level, while Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is selected again after making his senior debut in November.
Tuchel has only included two recognised strikers in his 26-player squad – Harry Kane and Dominic Solanke.
There is no place for Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins.
There are also a number of players missing through injury, including Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Hall and Bukayo Saka.
It is understood Tuchel has to win the World Cup next summer if he wants to be the long-term England head coach, having signed a short-term contract which started in January and runs until the end of that tournament.
