Thomas Tuchel has submitted his provisional England World Cup squad, with Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck and Alex Scott believed to be among the players named on the long list. Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold also made the preliminary group as England moved one step closer to the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Fifa allowed nations to submit a list of 55 players by Monday midnight before cutting it to a final squad of 26, and Tuchel will now trim England's group ahead of the World Cup, which starts on 11 June. The Football Association plans to announce the final squad on Friday, 22 May, giving the manager a clear deadline to settle his options.
The list matters because several of the names linked with the provisional group were absent from Tuchel's previous squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Shaw, Welbeck, Alexander-Arnold and Scott were all left out then, making their inclusion this time a strong signal that they remain in the manager's thinking.
Shaw's return would be especially notable. The Manchester United defender has not played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain, but he has 34 caps and made 36 appearances for United this season. Welbeck, meanwhile, has put together a sharp campaign for Brighton, scoring 14 goals, while Scott was called into the senior England squad for the first time in November before being omitted from Tuchel's previous party.
There are still fitness questions around the wider group. Arsenal defender Ben White is a major doubt for the World Cup after a knee injury in Sunday's win at West Ham, while Newcastle's Tino Livramento is currently unavailable, even if there is hope he will be fit in time for the tournament. Reece James has also recently returned from injury, adding another moving part to Tuchel's selection before the squad is finalised.
The provisional list is only the start, not the answer. Tuchel has to balance form, fitness and familiarity over the next two weeks, and the final call will show whether he wants to reward players pushing back into contention or lean on those already trusted at international level.
