Most valuable English players not selected for England’s 2026 World Cup squad

Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup raised some eyebrows with several notable omissions 26-man party.

Phil Foden and Cole Palmer were the biggest names to miss out on Tuchel's final selection following underwhelming individual seasons for both Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

Real Madrid right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will also be watching the World Cup from home as he was not included by Tuchel, although his omission was expected given the 27-year-old hasn't featured for England under the German's regime.

On their absences, Tuchel said: "Difficult phone calls. I respect all of them. As players, personalities. All of them have been in camp, have been excellent.

"To reduce it was difficult, sometimes painfully difficult. Even in the phone calls I felt the emotion. I called all the players who were in camp with us at least one time. A lot of them deserved to be with us.

"For some it was a positional thing and not bring[ing] five No 10s and making them play out of position."

Tuchel's eye-catching tournament selection also resulted in prodigious central midfielders Adam Wharton and Alex Scott both missing out.

Despite a strong end to the campaign which inspired Nottingham Forest to Premier League survival and the Europa League semi-final, Morgan Gibbs-White was one to fall foul of his competitive position and the 26-year-old Forest talisman was overlooked.

There were murmurs Levi Colwill's late return from injury could potentially see him sneak a spot on the plane but the Chelsea defender failed to make the cut, while his team-mate Trevoh Chalobah also fell down the pecking order as Tuchel opted for Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Jarell Quansah and Dan Burn as his centre-back options.

Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri is another of England's most valuable players to miss out, although the winger has been added to the pre-World Cup training camp.

Archie Gray showcased his versatility in a tough season for Tottenham Hotspur but the former Leeds United academy graduate never appeared to be on Tuchel's radar.

Most valuable English players not selected for England’s 2026 World Cup squad

1. Cole Palmer
2. Phil Foden
3. Trent Alexander-Arnold
4. Adam Wharton
5. Morgan Gibbs-White
6. Levi Colwill
7. Ethan Nwaneri
8. Alex Scott
9. Trevoh Chalobah
10. Archie Gray

*Values according to Transfermarkt.com