England name squad for final World Cup qualifiers
England's preparations for the World Cup have started
England manager Thomas Tuchel has recalled Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden to his squad for World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.
Author | William G
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| England v Wales friendly |
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott has also been called up to the senior squad for the first time.
Tuchel has resisted calls to include Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, while attacking midfielder Jack Grealish, on loan at Everton from Manchester City, and right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold miss out.
Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid team-mate Bellingham was left out of Tuchel's squad for games in October, having just returned from shoulder surgery. Manchester City playmaker Foden had not been selected in the past three England squads, with his last international appearance in March against Latvia.
England qualified for the 2026 World Cup by thrashing Latvia last month and will host Serbia on Thursday, 13 November, before travelling to Albania three days later for their final Group K fixture. These two matches will be the final competitive outings before next summer's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Scott, 22, was part of the England side that won the European Under-21 Championship in the summer. He has featured in all 10 of Bournemouth's Premier League matches this season, scoring once and helping them to fifth in the table.
European Super Football | World Cup Qualifying | England player ratings from Latvia win. https://t.co/EnapWpOpp2
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Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope, Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton are the other players returning to the squad. Those dropped since the last international break are Morgan Gibbs-White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, James Trafford and Ollie Watkins.
The return of Bellingham and Foden follows their high-profile omissions for England's games in October. Bellingham was left out having made just one start following his shoulder operation, despite Tuchel saying the midfielder wanted to be included. The England boss also said he had "no problem" with Bellingham, having apologised in August for "unintentionally" describing the player's on-field behaviour as "repulsive".
Foden, meanwhile, has shown improved form for Manchester City this season and has been recalled after scoring twice in a 4-1 Champions League win against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
The squad in full
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle Utd)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
