AI predicts Tuchel’s England squad for 2026 World Cup

It feels like an absolute age since Thomas Tuchel was first announced as England manager.

Truth be told, it’s an age. On October 16, 2024, a year ago now, he revealed himself to the press.

It was something completely different for the German. He has never succeeded at international level and since starting the job he has still only managed eight matches. It’s truly a struggle to build momentum or truly know what his Three Lions are capable of until the World Cup kicks off next summer.

Things started off pretty slow in all honesty. Tuchel’s England managed to win 2-0 against Albania in their opening match before beating Latvia 3-0.

His second international break at the start of the summer was even worse. They only managed a 1-0 victory against Andorra, then lost 3-1 to Senegal.

Fortunately, things have improved since then, beating Serbia by five in September and demolishing Wales 3-0 in 20 minutes during the October break.

Regardless of these results, England would still be one of the favorites in the United States next summer. But the age-old question: who will be on the plane?

We asked AI to work out what they think Tuchel’s 26-man squad would look like and here’s the result…

1

The guardians

There are no prizes for guessing who AI thinks will be Tuchel’s No.1 next summer. That honor goes to Jordan Pickford who has established himself as one of his country’s best goalkeepers in recent years.

The Everton man has featured in every major tournament (4) since the World Cup in 2018 and, according to AI, he will be joined by Newcastle duo Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope. Ramsdale has yet to appear in any of Tuchel’s squad lists and will therefore need to find a way to play football before the tournament kicks off next summer.

At the moment he is behind Pope in the pecking order, but there is no doubt that he is an excellent goalkeeper, someone who was considered the future No.1 at Arsenal.

Full list of goalkeepers: Pickford, Ramsdale and Pope.

2

The defenders

AI predicts that Tuchel will take four centre-backs to the United States next year, with John Stones alongside Marc Guehi at the back, just as they did at Euro 2024.

Despite being denied a move to Liverpool over the summer, Guehi has started the season in fine form at Crystal Palace and is truly looking like England’s standout defender.

AI also believes AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori could be on the plane, ready to earn his first minutes for his country since 2023. Note that there is no place for Dan Burn who has been a regular in Tuchel’s early England camps.

Levi Colwill is currently out with an ACL issue but is expected to be back for the latter stages of the season, potentially giving him the opportunity to make the team.

At full-back, England are fortunate to have options. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento and Reece James were chosen on the right side. James offers great versatility and could be fielded in central defense if necessary.

At left-back, there are seats on the plane for Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. The England boss recently hinted that Lewis-Skelly would have to start playing more to earn his place in America.

Full list of defenders: Guehi, Stones, Tomori, Colwill, Alexander-Arnold, Livramento, James, Lewis-Skelly, Lewis.

3

Midfielders

Much to the delight of most supporters across the country, AI believes Jordan Henderson will miss this opportunity. The Brentford midfielder has been called back into the fray under Tuchel but despite his experience and leadership, he could actually miss out.

There is also no room for Elliot Anderson who has impressed so much since winning his first England caps during the September international break. Perhaps he will pay the price for Nottingham Forest’s poor form.

Regulars such as Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze are included while there is a place for Jude Bellingham who was left out of camp in October, allegedly due to fitness issues and a lack of minutes for Real Madrid.

They are joined by some wildcard options in the form of Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher, Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton who edges out Anderson to take the No.6 spot.

Kobbie Mainoo also makes a difference. Was Ruben Amorim fired? It’s likely if the kid plays enough minutes to be considered. The last name is arguably the biggest surprise of the lot with Everton’s James Garner on the plane. To his credit, he started the season well under David Moyes, recording a goal and an assist in his first seven outings.

Full list of midfielders: Rice, Bellingham, Gallagher, Mainoo, Eze, Wharton, Jones, Garner.

4

The fronts

To no one’s surprise, Harry Kane is the first name on the team’s list. The England skipper is one of the best in the world after taking his game to a new level in 2025/26, putting his name firmly in the conversation to win the Ballon d’Or. For what? Well, in his first ten games of the current campaign, he had scored a staggering 18 goals.

Alongside him will be Ollie Watkins, who scored against the Welsh in October and Marcus Rashford who has rediscovered himself at Barcelona this season.

Other options include Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon.

Remarkably, there is no place for Chelsea star Cole Palmer. Currently injured, will he still feel the effects next summer? There’s also no room for Man City superstar Phil Foden.

Full list of attackers: Kane, Witshisse, Kashosed, saka, gondonna, ko, kondon.