World Cup 2026: Thomas Tuchel’s England squad dilemmas as Sky Sports writers pick their Three Lions XI

England will head to next summer’s World Cup as Thomas Tuchel finetunes his selection plans ahead of next June; with the Three Lions’ final qualifying games this month, what does the German still need to decide regarding his line-up? Sky Sports’ writers have their say…

 

 

Qualification is secured – now the planning really starts. Thomas Tuchel’s first tournament with England is just seven months away, and there is work to do.

The Three Lions secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup with two qualifying games to spare. Those matches are at home to Serbia in November and away to Albania on Sunday.

Tuchel will then have international camps in March and June to decide his best England formula. But what places are still up for grabs?

 

 

Which means that, if England continue in their regular 4-2-3-1 formation under Thomas Tuchel, then the following five positions are up for grabs in the team:

Take a look at which XIs our writers picked to start England’s first game to see who the contenders are for these positions…

Reece James would be my pick at right-back, although a strong second half of the season from Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid could change my mind.

John Stones’ experience gives him the edge over Ezri Konsa alongside Marc Guehi at centre-back, while Myles Lewis-Skelly remains the best bet at left-back. I expect he’ll get more minutes with Arsenal in the second half of the season.

Elliot Anderson’s emergence is a huge boost to Thomas Tuchel. The Nottingham Forest midfielder has to start as the No 6, allowing Declan Rice to get up in support of Jude Bellingham, who is still ahead of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers at No 10.

Anthony Gordon’s recent performances for England put him top of the pecking order on the left wing for now. England’s wingers will need to excel in and out of possession at next summer’s tournament and Gordon can strike the right balance.

England are painfully short of reliable centre-backs but the best pairing has got to be John Stones and Marc Guehi. I’d call the left-back conundrum less of an issue and more of an opportunity. Rotating between Myles Lewis-Skelly, as first pick, and Nico O’Reilly – two of the best young full-backs in the Premier League – can hardly be considered a problem.

The biggest call is in midfield and who partners Declan Rice. Rice’s specific role plays a key part in the thinking. If Thomas Tuchel is asking the Arsenal midfielder to sit, I would be happy to play Adam Wharton, but if Rice is to be offered the chance to advance I’d prefer the physicality of Elliot Anderson as cover.

 

 

Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer are interchangeable at No 10 – another nice headache to have. And I’d like to see Marcus Rashford given a go from the left if he continues to flourish in Spain.