Tuchel Set to Name First England Squad Since World Cup Semi-Final Loss, Announcement Friday Morning

Thomas Tuchel names his first England squad since the World Cup on Friday, September 18 at 10am BST, according to BBC Sport and the Manchester Evening News. It will be the first look at his roster in 65 days, since England's 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina in the United States.

That loss still stings. England blew a 1-0 lead in the final five minutes against Argentina, a collapse the Guardian says has left "scars that may never heal" among a section of the fan base. The Guardian reports Tuchel told a colleague at a Premier League ground this season, "People are killing me."

England beat France 6-4 in the third-place playoff, per BBC Sport, delivering the country's best World Cup finish since 1966, according to the Guardian. Tuchel's team also reached the semi-finals for just the fourth time in England's history, beat Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in the round of 16, and won a quarter-final over Norway in extra time.

The Case Against Tuchel, Stated Fairly

Critics who blame Tuchel for the Argentina collapse point to a legitimate grievance: a five-minute lead surrendered in a World Cup semi-final is the kind of result that ends careers and reputations in international football. The Guardian doesn't dismiss that anger as illegitimate, it frames it as one half of a divided fan base, the other half crediting Tuchel for reaching the final four at all. Neither side has the final word here. The Football Association, for its part, has stuck with Tuchel and is looking ahead to Euro 2028, which England co-hosts with the rest of the UK and Ireland.

Who's In, Who's Out

BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel reports that Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha, 18, and left-back Lewis Hall are among names in Tuchel's provisional squad list, though neither has featured in a full England squad yet. Ngumoha made his debut in a pre-World Cup warm-up against New Zealand. Hall's absence from the World Cup roster raised eyebrows given England went to the tournament without a natural left-back.

Bournemouth's Alex Scott, Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are also on the extended list, per BBC Sport. Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, two of the most notable omissions from the World Cup squad, are back in contention. Jordan Henderson, Dean Henderson and John Stones are expected to be left out because of injury.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's status remains an open question across the coverage. The Express's staff picks, offered as opinion rather than the actual squad, left him out entirely in one selection while another writer for the same outlet argued he's "in and out" of contention. Those Express picks are speculative fan-style selections from its writers, not Tuchel's actual roster, and should be read as such.

The Kane Question

Harry Kane started all seven of England's matches through the semi-final and was subbed only twice, both times late with games already decided, according to BBC Sport. He was rested for the bronze-medal match against France, with Ivan Toney getting the nod instead. Who backs up Kane, or eventually replaces him, remains unresolved heading into a stretch where England plays four games in 11 days.

The Schedule

England opens Nations League Group A3 play at home against world and European champions Spain on Saturday, September 26 at Wembley, per the Manchester Evening News. They travel to Czechia on Tuesday, September 29, then face Croatia away on Saturday, October 3, a match set for Stadium HNK Rijeka behind closed doors due to prior UEFA sanctions on the Croatian federation, the Manchester Evening News reports. England closes the window hosting Czechia again at Wembley on Tuesday, October 6.

Tuchel's squad, once announced Friday, will be the clearest signal of how he plans to rebuild toward Euro 2028 on home soil, and whether the young players who trained alongside the senior squad in Palm Beach before the World Cup, Ngumoha chief among them, get their chance to move from provisional list to full cap.