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Former Chelsea and England icon John Terry has questioned Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave three key players out of the Three Lions’ 2026 FIFA World Cup squad. The 45-year-old claimed that Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill deserved to be included on the German’s 26-man selection for the summer extravaganza.
Tuchel took charge of the Three Lions in January 2025. Imposing his possession-dominant style of play, he has delivered impressive results – nine wins, one draw and two losses in 12 games thus far.
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Along the way, however, the German tactician has made some surprising and controversial decisions, raising the eyebrows of fans and pundits alike. The snubbing of Palmer, Colwill and Maguire from his squad for the FIFA World Cup was brought to the fore by Terry on talkSPORT.
The former England captain, who made 78 appearances for his country between 2003 and 2012, said (via Metro):
‘The big one for me is (Harry) Maguire, I think he’s been brilliant since he’s come back in the side for Manchester United and proved pivotal in Manchester United’s surge under Michael Carrick towards the end of the season. That’s a real strange one for me, being a defender. Levi Colwill as well, left footer… I know he’s only played a few games for Chelsea but there aren’t many left-sided centre-backs as well so I think I would have included him as well.”
Terry added:
“Above that, Cole Palmer is probably the biggest one for us all. I know he’s not been in the best form for Chelsea but when you’re talking about players that can win you the game, there’s not many in the England squad that can do it – match-winners that have done it previously on the big stage – he’s certainly the man you look to if you look over your shoulder as the manager if you’re 1-0 down or whatever it may be, so that’s the biggest one for me.”
In the absence of their established stars, England will be hoping for young talents like Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers and Nico O’Reilly to step up and make a difference.
Under Thomas Tuchel, England will be hopeful of breaking their trophy duck at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Although Gareth Southgate’s eight-year tenure (2016-2024) as England manager could be classified as successful, he could never quite take his side over the final hurdle.
His term with the Three Lions started off well, as he guided them to an impressive fourth-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He followed it up by leading them to the final of the 2020 European Championships, which they ultimately lost to Italy on penalties.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, his side were considered one of the favourites to win the tournament. However, they fell 1-2 to eventual finalists France in the quarter-finals.
More heartbreak followed for the English as they lost another European Championship final in 2024 to Spain (2-1). It proved to be the final straw for Southgate, as he stepped down from his role two days later.
The Three Lions soon announced the signing of Tuchel, a proven tactician with a stellar record in Europe and a cabinet full of trophies. Although he has managed top clubs like Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich, this is his first foray into international management.
England will play Croatia (June 17), Ghana (June 23) and Panama (June 27) in the group stage. The onus will be on Tuchel to lift the curse and lead the Three Lions to their first international trophy since the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Edited by Aaryan Nagraj
