On Friday, the announcement of the players selected by Thomas Tuchel for the 2026 World Cup caused a real earthquake in England. Between notable absences and criticized decisions, the Three Lions’ coach had to defend his choices at a press conference.
This Friday, May 22, 2026, stirred up controversy across the Channel. Thomas Tuchel announced in the morning his list of 26 players selected to compete in the 2026 World Cup. The German coach’s choices did not receive unanimous approval.
The former PSG coach made the decision to leave out prestigious names from the trip to the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Among them were Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Tuchel justified this by explaining that he preferred to focus on a collective unit rather than individual talents.
“From day one, we clearly stated that we were trying to build the best possible team, which does not necessarily mean the 26 most talented players (…) Championships are won as a team, and what we are trying to achieve can only be done as a team,” Tuchel said at a press conference, as reported by Sky Sports.
“We want to give them a clear role”
Despite the criticism, the coach does not regret these choices and has expressed confidence in his players: “I am very confident in the group we have chosen. These are very difficult decisions, painful conversations, difficult to explain to the players (…) For some, it is simply the number of players in a certain position that is the issue. We want to give them a clear role.”
The Three Lions will begin their journey in the global competition on June 17 against Croatia (10 pm), then face Ghana on June 23 (10 pm) before taking on Panama on June 27 (11 pm).
