Jude Bellingham has been left out of the England squad for the upcoming friendly against Wales and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Latvia while Bukayo Saka returns.
Bellingham missed the start of the season having undergone surgery for a troubling shoulder injury after the FIFA Club World Cup in July, and has slowly returned to action since the end of September, coming off the bench in three of Los Blancos’ last four matches.
Also missing out from the squad is Manchester City forward Phil Foden, Everton winger Jack Grealish and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton
Reacting on Bellingham’s omission, Thomas Tuchel said: “He is a special player, and for special players there can always be special rules.
“But we decided to keep with the straightforward decision of inviting the same group.
“Jude always deserves to be here. There is also the situation that he has not quite gathered his full rhythm again at Real Madrid – he has not finished a full match.
“He wanted to be called up. We had a phone call.”
There is however a return for Arsenal star Bukayo Saka who missed the September international window due to injury.
Other notable additions include Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah and AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Manchester City defender John Stones, Nottingham Forest duo Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson as well as Aston Villa duo Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
Your #ThreeLions for October! 🥁
— England (@England) October 3, 2025
England will play Wales in a friendly on October 9 at Wembley before travelling to Latvia five days later for a World Cup qualifier.
Full England squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
