Three England players without caps will still travel with the World Cup squad, even though they weren’t selected to play.
Thomas Tuchel is bringing three extra England players to the World Cup, even though they aren’t in his main 26-man squad.
The official England squad for the World Cup was announced on Friday, ahead of their first game against Croatia on June 17. This will be Tuchel’s first big tournament since he took over from Gareth Southgate in late 2024. He made some bold decisions, including choosing some surprising players and leaving some well-known stars out.
Notable players missing from the squad include Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, Lewis Hall, and Morgan Gibbs-White. On the other hand, Tottenham’s defender Djed Spence and Al Ahli’s striker Ivan Toney were unexpected picks.
Since the squad was revealed, fans and experts have been talking about who should or shouldn’t be included. Now, it’s been announced that four extra players, including three young talents who haven’t yet played for England, will join the team’s official training camp in Florida.
At a press conference, Tuchel shared that Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, and Alex Scott will join the senior team in Florida, along with one more player who hasn’t been named yet.
“We’ll take some young players to train with us to keep the squad the right size,” Tuchel said on Friday. “Alex Scott, Rio Ngumoha, Josh King, and one more player who isn’t confirmed yet. I’m happy they’re with us, especially Alex, who was close to making the main squad but didn’t. His reaction was amazing, and he really wanted to be part of the pre-camp. I’m glad he’s with us because it was a close call, and now he has a chance to join the first camp.”
England’s training camp will be in south Florida in early June. The team will arrive in the U.S. on June 1 to get ready for the tournament.
Since the Champions League and Conference League finals are at the end of May, some Arsenal players and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson won’t be at the start of the camp. This means the younger players will play a big role in helping get the team ready for their first matches. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele will also be part of the training camp and will join England’s coaching staff during the tournament.
After the announcement, Alex Scott said he was disappointed not to be in the final squad but is happy to help the team however he can over the summer. In an interview with the Daily Echo, he said, “I’m obviously gutted not to be in the squad, but I’m not too upset because I feel like I did everything I could to be included. It’s nice to be wanted in the prep camp to help the team get ready for the World Cup. That’s an opportunity I wasn’t going to say no to. I’m looking forward to being around the group again and helping with the preparations in Miami, especially in the heat. I can’t wait—it’s going to be amazing. Fingers crossed I get to make my debut there.”