Foden and 'shocked' Maguire miss out as Tuchel names England's 26 for World Cup
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has unveiled his final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and two of the most prominent names in modern English football are not on it: Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden and Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire. The decision shook English football within minutes of being announced.
Maguire told BBC Sport he was 'shocked and gutted' by the call. The 32-year-old defender has been part of every major England squad since 2018, and was one of the most consistent Premier League centre-backs in the second half of the season at Manchester United. Tuchel's preferences appear to lean toward quicker, more ball-playing centre-backs who fit a higher defensive line.
Foden's omission was perhaps even more surprising. The 25-year-old finished a Premier League title-winning season with 17 goals and 13 assists. But in his explanation, Tuchel made it clear that in the attacking phase, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Jude Bellingham are first-choice creators, leaving Foden squeezed out of a system that does not naturally accommodate two number tens.
'These are some of the hardest moments in a player's career, and the selection process was not easy at all,' Tuchel said at his news conference. 'Cutting a provisional list of 55 down to 26 is one of the most brutal jobs any manager has to do. I had to call players and deliver the news, and those conversations were very difficult.'
Elsewhere in the squad, Premier League regulars including Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Harry Kane all made the cut. Tuchel is also trusting Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who was named Europa League Player of the Season, and Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, who has been one of the league's best creators.
For Manchester City fans, Foden's absence is particularly bitter. Their playmaker was central to the Premier League title triumph and started at Euro 2024. But during his tenure, Tuchel has repeatedly hinted at the difficulty of fitting Foden into a side where Bellingham occupies the central attacking role — and the squad reflects that.
The sporting logic of Maguire's exclusion is clearer. Tuchel has experimented with a back three and a higher pressing line, both of which demand quicker ball circulation. Maguire's strengths in aerial duels and positional defending fit less comfortably than they did under Gareth Southgate. The inclusions of Marc Guéhi, Levi Colwill, Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn as centre-back options confirm the stylistic direction.
The World Cup begins on 11 June in the United States, Canada and Mexico. England's opening match — confirmed after the draw — will be played in Boston against a group-stage opponent that has not yet been finalised in this preview piece's source material. Tuchel's squad has an average age of 26.4, the youngest England World Cup squad in three tournaments. Preparation begins at St George's Park in Burton-upon-Trent on 2 June.
Another dimension of the call is squad management around club commitments. With Bellingham allowed an early arrival from Real Madrid, Tuchel has prioritised options who can be integrated into his preferred 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 shapes quickly. That preference penalised Foden, whose strongest position has been contested by Palmer and Bellingham throughout the past 18 months.
England squad announcements have always been controversial: even the 1966 final selection of Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst raised eyebrows on the day. Whether Tuchel's bold choices pay off will be answered in June. For Foden and Maguire, the conversation now turns to club commitments and, perhaps, the next World Cup cycle.