Thomas Tuchel has named an expanded 35-man England squad that includes two uncapped players: Everton midfielder James Garner and Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.
The selection is Tuchel’s penultimate squad ahead of his final cut for the 2026 World Cup. The large group allows him to evaluate more players in preparation for friendlies at Wembley against Uruguay on 27 March and Japan on 31 March.
Several familiar faces return. Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo are recalled, AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori is back for the first time since October 2023, and Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been called up more than five years after his last senior involvement. Dominic Solanke makes his first squad appearance since October 2024.
Notable absences include Real Madrid full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins. Chelsea defenders Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, who featured in the previous squad, are missing through injury.
Tuchel explained the thinking behind the extended squad: “We decided to divide it into basically two camps almost. So we bring players in that we haven’t seen, who haven’t played so much, to open up the picture and the competition for plane tickets to the US. Then from Friday and Saturday, a group of players will come into camp – 10 or 11 players who [had] a rest before [so we can] go with a new group and mix of players into the match against Japan.”
Jude Bellingham is included despite not featuring for Real Madrid since early February because of a hamstring injury, and defender John Stones has made only two Manchester City appearances since early December.
James Garner has been a consistent starter for Everton this season, registering five assists and two goals in the league. Garner, who was part of England’s Under-21 European Championship-winning side in 2023, described his first senior call-up as a dream come true. In a short video on Everton’s X account he said: “The manager rang me last night and just said that I’ll be involved. That was a good FaceTime call. I was very confident it was going to come just on the basis that I’ve had a good season, so I finally got my chance and it’s a dream come true.”
Jason Steele’s inclusion is notable because he has not made a Premier League appearance for Brighton this season. England said Steele is named “with the prospect of him joining the World Cup squad as a training goalkeeper during the summer.” The 35-year-old’s senior call-up is his first since representing Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.
The full squad is:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tuchel will use the upcoming friendlies to assess the broader group and decide on a final squad for the summer, with the expanded call-up giving fringe players a clearer pathway to compete for a place on the plane.