It feels like an absolute age since Thomas Tuchel was first announced as the England manager.
Truth be told, it is an age. On October 16th 2024, a year ago now, he was unveiled in front of the press.
This has been something entirely different for the German. He’s never managed at international level and since he began the job, he has still only managed eight games. It really is a struggle to gather any momentum or know truly what his Three Lions are capable of until the World Cup kicks off next summer.
Things started off pretty slowly in all honesty. Tuchel’s England laboured to a 2-0 win over Albania in his first game before beating Latvia 3-0.
His second international break at the beginning of the summer was even worse. They secured just a 1-0 victory over Andorra and then lost 3-1 to Senegal.
Fortunately, things have got better since then, putting five past Serbia in September and demolishing Wales 3-0 inside 20 minutes in October’s break.
Regardless of those results, England were always going to be one of the favourites in America next summer. But, the age-old question, who will be on the plane?
We asked AI to put together what they think Tuchel’s 26-man squad will look like and here was the outcome…
1 The goalkeepers
There are no prizes for guessing who AI reckons will be Tuchel’s no.1 next summer. That honour goes to Jordan Pickford who has cemented himself as one of his country’s finest goalkeepers in recent years.
The Everton man has been to every major tournament (4) since the World Cup in 2018 and according to AI, will be joined by Newcastle duo Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope. Ramsdale hasn’t appeared in any of Tuchel’s squad lists yet so will need to find a way to play some football before the tournament kicks off next summer.
At the moment, he is behind Pope in the pecking order but there’s no doubting that he’s a fine ‘keeper, someone who was seen as the future no.1 when at Arsenal.
Full list of goalkeepers: Pickford, Ramsdale & Pope.
2 The defenders
AI anticipates that Tuchel will take four out-and-out centre-backs to the USA next year with John Stones set to partner Marc Guehi at the back, just as they did during Euro 2024.
While denied his move to Liverpool during the summer, Guehi has begun the season in fine form at Crystal Palace and really does look like England’s standout defender.
AI also thinks that AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori could be on the plane, set to earn his first minutes for his country since 2023. Note there is no place for Dan Burn who has been a regular in Tuchel’s first few England camps.
Levi Colwill is currently out with an ACL problem but is expected to be back for the latter stages of the season, potentially giving him the opportunity to make the squad.
At full-back, England are blessed with options. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento and Reece James have been picked on the right-hand side. James offers strong versatility and could be fielded at centre-back if required.
At left-back, there are places on the plane for Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. The England boss recently hinted that Lewis-Skelly would need to start playing more to earn his place in America.
Full list of defenders: Guehi, Stones, Tomori, Colwill, Alexander-Arnold, Livramento, James, Lewis-Skelly, Lewis.
3 The midfielders
To the joy of most supporters around the country, AI thinks that Jordan Henderson will miss out on this occasion. The Brentford midfielder has been recalled to the fray under Tuchel but despite his experience and leadership, could actually miss out.
There is also no place for Elliot Anderson who has impressed so much since earning his first England caps during the September international break. Perhaps he is going to pay the price for Nottingham Forest’s poor run of form.
Regulars such as Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze are included while there is a place for Jude Bellingham who was left out of the camp in October, allegedly due to fitness concerns and a lack of minutes for Real Madrid.
They are joined by some wildcard options in the form of Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton who gets in ahead of Anderson to fill the no.6 spot.
Kobbie Mainoo also makes the cut. Has Ruben Amorim been sacked? It’s likely if the youngster is playing enough minutes to be in the reckoning. The last name is arguably the biggest surprise of the lot with Everton’s James Garner on the plane. To his credit, he has started the season well under David Moyes, registering a goal and an assist in his first seven outings.
Full list of midfielders: Rice, Bellingham, Gallagher, Mainoo, Eze, Wharton, Jones, Garner.
4 The forwards
To the surprise of nobody, Harry Kane is the first name on the squad list. The England skipper is one of the best in the world after taking his game to a new level in 2025/26, putting his name firmly in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or. Why? Well, in his first ten games of the ongoing campaign, he had scored a mind-boggling 18 goals.
Euro 2016
4
0
World Cup 2018
6
6
Euro 2020
7
4
World Cup 2022
5
2
Euro 2024
7
3
Joining him will be Ollie Watkins, who netted against the Welsh in October and Marcus Rashford who has rediscovered himself at Barcelona this season.
Further options include Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon.
Remarkably, there is no place for Chelsea star Cole Palmer. Currently injured at the moment, will he still be feeling the effects of that come next summer? There’s no room for Man City superstar Phil Foden either.
Full list of forwards: Kane, Watkins, Rashford, Saka, Gordon, Bowen.