Thomas Tuchel has submitted his provisional England squad for the World Cup, with Levi Colwill among the players understood to have made the 55-man long list. Fifa has allowed participating nations to name up to 55 players for the tournament, and Tuchel will now cut that group to 26 before the World Cup begins on 11 June in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The final England squad is planned to be released on Friday, 22 May, giving Tuchel less than a week to make decisions on a number of familiar names and returning options. Luke Shaw, Danny Welbeck, Alex Scott and Trent Alexander-Arnold were believed to be included in the provisional list after all four were left out of Tuchel’s previous squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Ben White is a major doubt after suffering a knee injury in Sunday’s win at West Ham, while Tino Livramento is currently unavailable, although there is hope the Newcastle defender will be fit for the tournament. The decisions will also be shaped by the right side of defence, where Reece James remains Tuchel’s first-choice right-back after only recently returning from injury.
Shaw’s possible return would carry particular weight. He has not played for England since the Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain, and his record still stands at 34 caps. The Manchester United defender made 36 appearances for the club this season, underlining why he remains in the conversation despite the long absence.
Welbeck has also pushed himself into contention after scoring 14 goals for Brighton this season, a strong enough return to keep him on the radar as Tuchel balances experience and form. Scott’s inclusion would be another notable step for a player first called into the senior England squad in November, before being omitted from the previous selection.
The shape of the squad now comes down to the trim. England can only take 26 players to the tournament, and the provisional list gives Tuchel room to cover fitness issues, late form and positional gaps before the final decision is made. For players such as Colwill, Shaw and Alexander-Arnold, the next few days will decide whether the journey to North America begins with a place in the group or ends before it starts.
