GOAL's ideal England World Cup 2026 squad: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ollie Watkins make the cut - but there's no room for Phil Foden or Jordan Henderson

GOAL's selection: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson & James Trafford.

Jordan Pickford may have had his doubters in the past, but the Everton goalkeeper has rarely let England down at big tournaments, and it should come as no surprise that all 10 of our voters had him in their squads.

It was also a unanimous decision to select Dean Henderson as Pickford's primary back-up following a stellar couple of seasons from the Crystal Palace shot-stopper, while eight of our voters were convinced by James Trafford's talent to include the Manchester City man as their third-choice despite his lack of minutes at the Etihad Stadium this season following the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

GOAL's selection: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Lewis Hall, Reece James & Nico O'Reilly.

Much of the debate at the start of the March international break centred on Tuchel deciding against selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold despite extending his squad to 35 players and having injury issues to contend with at right-back. It suggests that the Real Madrid man - who has played just 26 minutes for England since Tuchel took over - hasn't convinced the England boss of his form or fitness during an injury-plagued campaign in the Spanish capital.

Seven of our voters, however, believe Alexander-Arnold's creativity and passing range could come in useful this summer, and thus he joins Reece James (10 votes) in earning a spot on GOAL's plane. James' own injury issues didn't put off our voters from selecting the Chelsea captain, though it remains to be seen just how ready he will be for the Three Lions' opening fixtures.

Things were far less surprising when it came to the selection of our left-backs, as Manchester City's Carabao Cup hero Nico O'Reilly proved to be another unanimous selection, while only one of the voters didn't select Lewis Hall following his impressive performances of late for Newcastle. Both men would also bring experience of playing in midfield, adding a layer of versatility to Tuchel's squad.

GOAL's selection: Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Harry Maguire & John Stones

There are certainly spots up for grabs in the centre of England's defence, too, though all 10 of our voters stumped for both Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa, suggesting the Manchester City and Aston Villa centre-backs should both be on the plane at the very least.

Whether Guehi and Konsa actually line up as Tuchel's starting centre-backs will likely depend on the fitness of John Stones. The City stalwart has struggled with injuries for each of the past two seasons, and has only made 15 appearances at club level throughout 2025-26. His only games since the turn of the year have come in the FA Cup, but if Stones is fit, there is no doubt that he remains England's premier defender. With that in mind, six of our voters named the 31-year-old to their squad.

That same number, meanwhile, plumped for Stones' long-time partner at international level, Harry Maguire. A veteran of three previous tournaments, Maguire has caught the eye since forcing his way back into the Manchester United line up under Michael Carrick, and though Tuchel has been blunt with where he would place Maguire in his personal pecking order, his experience and leadership could yet make him a vital part of the final squad, if selected.

GOAL's selection: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers & Adam Wharton.

It should come as no surprise that Declan Rice received the maximum 10 votes from our team, with the Arsenal midfielder having developed into one of the best players in his position in world football over the past few years. He was joined as a unanimous selection by Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer, both of whom have the capability to be game-breakers for Tuchel during the tournament.

That is not to say that either is assured of a starting spot given Tuchel's appreciation of Morgan Rogers as a No.10 in his 4-2-3-1 system, and all-but one of our voters had the Aston Villa man in their final squad. The same number chose both Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton, with the Nottingham Forest star likely to edge out the Crystal Palace playmaker in terms of a starting spot next to Rice at the heart of the England midfield.

The midfield group is rounded out by Kobbie Mainoo (seven votes), whose return to the Manchester United fold has come just in time to force his way back into Tuchel's thinking, and Eberechi Eze (six votes), who offers vital versatility despite a mixed debut season as an Arsenal player.

GOAL's selection: Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford & Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka has been nailed on as an England starter ever since breaking onto the international scene at Euro 2020, and despite not enjoying the best individual season of his career at Arsenal, the winger still obtained votes from all 10 members of the GOAL team for our squad.

That number was matched by Marcus Rashford, who has been a mainstay of Tuchel's squad over the past 12 months, and though his form for Barcelona has tailed off a little after a strong first half of the season, the Manchester United loanee looks sure for a place on the plane. He will likely challenge Anthony Gordon for a place in the starting XI, and the Newcastle star only failed to make the cut for one of our 10 voters.

Our wide options are completed by West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Saka's Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke, both of whom garnered five votes as alternatives on the right-hand side.

GOAL's selection: Harry Kane & Ollie Watkins

Another unsurprising consensus pick, Harry Kane will head to the World Cup in the form of his life, and potentially as the Ballon d'Or favourite, after a superb season for Bayern Munich that could yet end with him winning a treble while producing record-setting numbers in front of goal.

Who backs up the England captain is far less certain, however, with a number of candidates having been handed call-ups by Tuchel over the past year. One of those who missed out on the March camp was Ollie Watkins, but after others failed to impress, the Aston Villa striker was able to accrue nine votes from our panel to join Kane in the squad.

In total, 19 players who received votes were not selected by enough of our team to make it onto GOAL's ideal squad, with perhaps the most notable being Phil Foden and Jordan Henderson.

Tuchel has used Foden in a variety of roles, including as a false nine, during his tenure, but the Manchester City midfielder's lack of form for club or country likely counted against him. Henderson, meanwhile, was surprisingly recalled by Tuchel last March and has been a regular contributor since, but the veteran's experience wasn't enough to earn him the requisite votes for our preferred squad.

Others who missed out included Ben White, who made a headline-grabbing return to the fold after over three years away during the March friendlies, and Newcastle defensive duo Dan Burn and Tino Livramento. Ivan Toney, meanwhile, was the only other out-and-out striker to receive more than a solitary vote behind Kane and Watkins.

Unselected players: Dan Burn, Jordan Henderson, Tino Livramento (all three votes); Rio Ngumoha, Jarell Quansah, Aaron Ramsdale, Fikayo Tomori, Ivan Toney (two votes); Jarrad Branthwaite, Levi Colwill, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Phil Foden, James Garner, Morgan Gibbs-White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Alex Scott, Dominic Solanke, Danny Welbeck, Ben White (one vote).

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