England's World Cup squad: Tuchel shakes up attack with surprise picks

England head coach Thomas Tuchel made some surprising omissions and selections as his World Cup squad was announced Friday.

As expected following several squad leaks Thursday, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are among the more notable names who won't play in North America. The two playmakers have struggled for form at Manchester City and Chelsea, respectively, so Tuchel instead opted for the likes of Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze to battle for minutes behind first-choice striker Harry Kane.

Ivan Toney was a shock call-up. The 30-year-old has played for Al-Ahli since August 2024 and has only made one brief substitute appearance for his country since that move to the Saudi Pro League. His inclusion blocked Danny Welbeck's and Dominic Calvert-Lewin's returns to the England fold, but Aston Villa marksman Ollie Watkins did enough to earn a call-up.

The omissions of center-backs Harry Maguire, Levi Colwill, and Fikayo Tomori appeared to clear the way for fellow defenders John Stones, who is set to leave Manchester City, and Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah. Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold was another notable omission.

Tuchel's main wide attacking options are Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, and Noni Madueke.

"I love the tough decisions because they bring in the end clarity, they bring a certain edge, and it's what you need to go all the way," Tuchel said.

"In the end it comes down to that - who do we really trust, who delivered for us, who created a culture especially from September onwards, who set the standards, who were the drivers, who was the leadership group and then we heavily relied on that because I think the connection has to be there."

There are 14 survivors from the squad that reached the Euro 2024 final, including that tournament's first-choice central midfield of Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Kobbie Mainoo.

England meets New Zealand and Costa Rica in friendlies before kicking off its World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17. The Three Lions' other Group L fixtures are against Ghana (June 23) and Panama (June 27).

England's World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)