England manager Thomas Tuchel unveiled a 26-man World Cup squad on Friday, omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, all big names in European football.

The surprise guest on the list unveiled by the English federation is Ivan Toney, a 30-year-old centre-forward credited with 32 goals in 32 matches this season in the Saudi league with Al-Ahli, who is expected to be a backup to captain Harry Kane in the No. 9 position, alongside Ollie Watkins.

True to form, Tuchel did not call up Real Madrid's right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold (27 years old), an outstanding passer with an attacking profile, deemed inconsistent in his defensive duties.

For this position, the German coach preferred Reece James (Chelsea), Jarell Quansah (Leverkusen) and Tino Livramento (Newcastle).

In attack, the competition is also proving fatal to Cole Palmer, Chelsea's attacking playmaker, and Phil Foden, who has had a disappointing season at Manchester City. Morgan Gibbs-White, who has been performing very well with Nottingham Forest, is also not making the trip to the United States.

The No. 10 position will go to Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers, players for Real Madrid and Aston Villa respectively.

In central defence, Harry Maguire was not called up, despite his international experience (66 caps, two World Cups and one European Championship played), his successful second half of the season with Manchester United and his valuable heading ability.

Ivan Toney is the surprise guest on the list even though Tuchel had already called up the 30-year-old centre-forward in June 2025, almost without giving him any playing time however.

The former Brentford player finished as the second-highest scorer in the Saudi Arabian league this season and is used to playing in high temperatures, a factor that may have been taken into account before the World Cup held in the United States.

The list of 26 players

Goalkeepers (3): Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders (9): Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders (7): Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/ESP), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards (7): Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/GER), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona/ESP, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli/KSA), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Editor's note: Goalkeeper Jason Steele (Brighton) is not on the list, but will travel with the England squad to participate in training.