England
Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Harry Maguire were not selected for Thomas Tuchel’s 26-player England World Cup group. Luke Shaw also did not make the cut despite earlier expectations, while several new names were added. Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are included after strong club seasons, alongside Morgan Gibbs-White being left out despite scoring well in the Premier League. The squad mixes experienced players such as Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson with younger additions like Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Rogers. England begins their tournament against Croatia.
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City).
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Croatia
Luka Modric has been included in Croatia’s World Cup selection at the age of 40 despite recovering from a facial injury, with coach Zlatko Dalic confident in his recovery. Josko Gvardiol is also named even though he has been dealing with a shin injury, while several English-based players are part of the group. The team includes a blend of veteran figures such as Ivan Perisic and rising players across European clubs.
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).
Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), and Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).
Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).
Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pašalić (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), and Igor Matanović (Freiburg).
Ghana
Thomas Partey has been included in Ghana’s squad despite an ongoing legal case in which he has denied the charges. The Ghana FA leadership expressed strong support for him, describing him as a key midfielder. Several players based in Europe and elsewhere are included, while Mohammed Kudus is absent due to injury.
Goalkeepers: Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak SC), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic).
Defenders: Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alidu Seidu (Rennes), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Jonas Adjetey (Wolfsburg), Kojo Oppong Peprah (Nice), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Augustine Boakye (Saint-Étienne), Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjaelland), and Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City).
Forwards: Kamaldeen Sulemana (Atalanta), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Ernest Nuamah (Lyon), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City).
Panama
Jose Cordoba is the only player from a UK club in Panama’s World Cup squad, having joined Norwich City in 2024. The team is returning for their second tournament appearance after previously competing in 2018. Panama were also grouped with England in that earlier edition and did not win a match.
Goalkeepers: Orlando Mosquera, Luis Mejia, Cesar Samudio.
Defenders: Cesar Blackman, Jorge Gutierrez, Amir Murillo, Fidel Escobar, Andres Andrade, Edgardo Farina, Jose Cordoba, Eric Davis, Jiovany Ramos, Roderick Miller.
Midfielders: Anibal Godoy, Adalberto Carrasquilla, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martinez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Cesar Yanis, Yoel Barcenas, Alberto Quintero, and Azarias Londono.
Forwards: Ismael Diaz, Cecilio Waterman, Jose Fajardo, Tomas Rodriguez.