England manager Thomas Tuchel has made significant changes to his squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, welcoming back key stars Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Key Returns and Surprise Inclusions
The 25-man England squad sees the highly anticipated return of Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, who was omitted in October as he completed his recovery from shoulder surgery. Similarly, Manchester City forward Phil Foden is back in the fold for the first time since Tuchel's initial camp in March.
Bournemouth's Alex Scott earns a notable call-up, headlining the fresh faces alongside uncapped players Nico O'Reilly and Jarell Quansah. The squad also features recalls for Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton and goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Notable Omissions and Final Group Matches
However, several players have been dropped, including Morgan Gibbs-White, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Myles Lewis-Skelly, James Trafford, and Ollie Watkins. Manager Tuchel also decided against recalling Everton's on-loan midfielder Jack Grealish, while Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold misses out.
England, who secured qualification for next year's tournament last month with a 5-0 win over Latvia, will play their final two matches in Group K. They host Serbia at Wembley on Thursday, November 13, 2025, before travelling to face Albania three days later.
France Follows Suit with Kante Recall
In related news, France coach Didier Deschamps has turned to experience, recalling 34-year-old N'Golo Kante to his squad. The Al-Ittihad midfielder, who last played for France in November 2024, returns to reinforce an injury-hit midfield missing Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot.
France can secure their own ticket to the World Cup in North America with a victory over Ukraine in Paris on November 13. Should they fail, they will have another chance against Azerbaijan in Baku on November 16. Deschamps has also recalled PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery and brought in attacking reinforcements in Manchester City's Rayan Cherki and Tottenham's Randal Kolo Muani.
