Thomas Tuchel's first squad since the World Cup lost five players before a ball had been kicked at St George's Park. On 21 September, England confirmed that Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento had all withdrawn with injuries.
Two players have come in. Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest and James Garner of Everton replace them, and nobody else has been called up. Tuchel now has 24 players rather than the 27 he named on 18 September, for four UEFA Nations League matches that begin against Spain at Wembley. Fans following every round of fixtures can check the odds before kick off.
The five players ruled out
Cole Palmer (Chelsea). Palmer was left out of the World Cup squad and this was his recall. He played the full 90 minutes of Chelsea's defeat to Brentford and then withdrew with what has been described as a minor injury.
Declan Rice (Arsenal). The biggest loss of the five. Rice played the whole of Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Brighton before he was ruled out.
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United). Mainoo was assessed after being substituted in United's 1-1 draw with Fulham.
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United). Rashford also came off in that Fulham game. He has been managing a hip problem since the World Cup.
Tino Livramento (Newcastle United). Livramento felt discomfort after training, had an MRI scan and missed Newcastle's 2-1 win over Hull City. Newcastle have not said what the problem is. It is the second England squad in a row he has left through injury, after a thigh problem sent him home on the eve of the World Cup.
The two players called up
Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest). Gibbs-White has six England caps and last played in the friendly against Wales in October 2025. Tuchel had praised his form when the squad was named but said there was no sense in picking several No. 10s. Palmer's withdrawal has opened that door.
James Garner (Everton). Garner won his first two senior caps in March 2026 and missed the World Cup squad. He is the more like-for-like replacement for Rice and Mainoo in the deeper midfield roles.
The updated England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton & Hove Albion), James Trafford (Leeds United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trevoh Chalobah (Como), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)
Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
What it means for Tuchel
Midfield takes the hit. Without Rice and Mainoo, Anderson is the obvious choice to sit deepest, with Bellingham ahead of him. Garner now competes with Scott and Lewis-Skelly for the other place.
Tuchel recalled Alexander-Arnold as a right-back, and Livramento's absence makes him more important still. Konsa and Quansah are the cover.
The list of absentees was already long. John Stones, Reece James, Djed Spence, Dan Burn, Ben White and Jordan Henderson were all missing when the squad was named.
Saka and Bellingham are both available, though. Saka scored a hat-trick and Bellingham got his seventh goal of the tournament in the 6-4 win over France that earned England third place at the World Cup on 18 July.
England's Nations League fixtures
Saturday 26 September: England v Spain, Wembley, 7:45pm
Tuesday 29 September: Czechia v England, Prague, 7:45pm
Saturday 3 October: Croatia v England, Rijeka, 5pm
Tuesday 6 October: England v Czechia, Wembley, 7:45pm
Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin, and Palmer scored England's goal that night. He will not get the chance to do it again at Wembley on Saturday.