Thomas Tuchel has submitted England's provisional 55-man squad for the 2026 World Cup — and already the names being linked to that list are raising eyebrows. According to BBC Sport, Luke Shaw and Danny Welbeck are believed to be among the players named, with the full list yet to be officially published by the FA. Fifty-five players. Plenty of room. Plenty of questions.
A provisional World Cup squad at this scale is less a selection and more a statement of intent — Tuchel is casting wide, keeping his options open, and refusing to close doors on players who've had injury-disrupted seasons. The list won't be trimmed to a final tournament squad until closer to the summer, but the names included now tell you something about who Tuchel trusts and who he's still watching.
Fifty-five is a large pool by any standard. FIFA's expanded tournament format has pushed federations to think bigger at the provisional stage, and England are no different. Tuchel, still relatively new to the job and building his own identity with the national side, appears to be erring on the side of inclusion rather than making hard calls early.
Luke Shaw's reported inclusion is the one that will generate the most debate. The Manchester United left-back has spent the better part of two seasons fighting fitness battles — when he's played, the quality has rarely been in doubt, but availability has been the persistent question mark. Naming him at the provisional stage suggests Tuchel hasn't given up on him making it to North America in shape. Whether Shaw can stay fit long enough to make the final cut is a different conversation.
Danny Welbeck, meanwhile, is the kind of selection that makes you do a double-take before you remember he's still genuinely good at football. The Brighton forward has quietly had one of the more consistent stretches of his career at club level, and at 34 he brings experience Tuchel might value in a squad that needs leaders as much as it needs talent. He didn't celebrate when the news broke. He probably just got on with training.
BBC Sport's report also mentions Alex Scott among those believed to be named — and that detail needs a flag. Alex Scott is most prominently associated with the England women's team and punditry, not the men's senior setup. It's possible the report refers to a different player sharing that name, or that there's a factual error somewhere in the chain. Until the FA publishes the official list, treat that specific inclusion with caution.
The provisional list is exactly that — provisional. Players can be added or removed before the final squad deadline, and between now and the tournament there's still club football to be played, injuries to factor in, and form to assess. Tuchel's real hand won't be shown until that final cut. For now, the 55-man submission is the opening move — and England fans will be picking it apart until every last name is confirmed.
Thomas Tuchel has submitted England's provisional 55-man squad for the 2026 World Cup — and already the names being linked to that list are raising eyebrows.
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MİLLİRonald Koeman heeft besloten de WK-selectie van het Nederlands elftal niet op maandag 25 mei bekend te maken, maar op woensdag 27 mei. De KNVB bevestigde de verschuiving via een persbericht — zonder v
“Stays on Transfers — different angle, same beat.”
MİLLİRonald Koeman heeft besloten de WK-selectie van het Nederlands elftal niet op maandag 25 mei bekend te maken, maar op woensdag 27 mei. De KNVB bevestigde de verschuiving via een persbericht — zonder v
