Thomas Tuchel has named a 35-man squad for England’s final pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley, and it contains some faces that have been absent from the international scene for quite some time, with the World Cup betting markets already reacting to some of the more surprising inclusions. With only one squad announcement left before Tuchel picks his final 26, these recalls are real auditions for a place on the plane to North America this summer.

Kobbie Mainoo

Kobbie Mainoo’s absence from the England setup this season has been one of the stranger storylines in the build-up to the World Cup, given what he showed at Euro 2024. The Manchester United midfielder was outstanding in Germany two years ago, and his composed, driving style had fans convinced he would become a central figure under Tuchel.

A difficult start to the 2025-26 season pushed him to the margins and shortened his football odds of making the World Cup squad considerably, but since Michael Carrick took charge in January, Mainoo has been one of United’s best performers, with two assists and a string of high-level displays helping lift them into third in the table. 

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Harry Maguire

Harry Maguire has 64 caps and started the Euro 2024 final, so his absence from Tuchel’s previous squads was always going to be temporary if his club form returned. It has, and convincingly so, with the centre-back performing with real authority alongside Lisandro Martinez since Carrick’s arrival at Old Trafford.

Tuchel was clear about the recall, pointing to his qualities at set-pieces as a specific asset. With a World Cup squad that will need leaders and aerial presence at both ends of the pitch, Maguire gives Tuchel something that is difficult to replace.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

No comeback in this squad has been more earned than Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s. The Leeds United striker last pulled on an England shirt in 2021 as a substitute in the Euro 2020 quarter-final win over Ukraine, and the years between have been difficult, with injuries derailing what had been one of the most promising striker careers in the country.

His move to newly promoted Leeds last summer looked like a risk, but he has scored 10 goals in 27 Premier League appearances this season and won the Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2025. With England’s backup striker options behind Harry Kane looking thin, Calvert-Lewin has forced his way back into the picture at exactly the right time.

Fikayo Tomori

Fikayo Tomori’s recall is partly circumstantial, with Trevoh Chalobah picking up an injury in the Champions League, but it is no less deserved. The AC Milan defender last appeared for England in late 2023 and has continued to perform at a high level in Serie A, with Tuchel confirming he has been watching him throughout the season and was “impressed very early” by his physicality and approach to defending.

In a squad with several centre-back options, Tomori’s pace and aggression give Tuchel a different profile to the likes of Maguire, Stones, and Guehi.

Ben White and Harvey Barnes

Ben White and Harvey Barnes did not feature in Tuchel’s original squad announcement, but both have since received call-ups after injuries to Jarell Quansah and Eberechi Eze opened the door. It is the kind of opportunity that neither player will want to waste, with the World Cup now just months away and squad spots very much up for grabs.

White’s international career has always been stop-start, with the Arsenal defender having taken a self-imposed break from England duty before returning to the fold, and missing out on the initial selection will only have sharpened his desire to make an impression.

Barnes, meanwhile, has spent too much of his career so far watching from the sidelines through injury, and getting minutes in two high-profile Wembley friendlies gives him a real chance to remind Tuchel exactly what he can offer at the highest level.