Cole Palmer omitted from Tuchel’s 25-man England squad for November Nations League; Jobe Bellingham called up

On 6 November 2026, Cole Palmer was omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s 25-man England squad for November’s UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain and Croatia, while Jobe Bellingham earned his first call-up alongside brother Jude. Tuchel had warned that Palmer "misses too many camps" after the forward withdrew from previous matches with a minor muscle issue, and the manager has not disclosed any further reason.

Palmer has 14 England caps and has scored five goals in 11 games for his club this season. One of those goals was a penalty in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory against Manchester United last weekend. He has made only three appearances for England in the past two years, with his most recent cap coming in the home defeat to Japan in March.

Adam Wharton, the Crystal Palace midfielder, was left out of Tuchel’s tournament roster. Tuchel has been under constant criticism for leaving out prominent and promising midfield players in favour of choices in the depth chart. The manager has embraced a new generation of central midfielders, and Wharton was overlooked as Elliot Anderson, Myles Lewis-Skelly, James Garner and the newly called-up Jobe Bellingham have advanced in selection plans.

Bukayo Saka’s exclusion from the squad is due to injury; the forward is currently nursing a problem and will be out for an extended period. Saka had been included in last month’s Nations League selections but will miss England matches this time because of the injury.

Kobbie Mainoo was omitted as part of a workload management decision after recent fitness concerns. The Manchester United midfielder played in a European match this past week following his recovery, but England’s coaching staff chose to restrict his minutes and prioritise his long-term recovery after he withdrew from the previous international camp owing to physical problems.

Phil Foden remains outside the international setup under Tuchel; the Manchester City playmaker has not played for the Three Lions since March 2026. Foden was again left out of this year’s final international camp after missing the 2026 World Cup squad in the summer, and he recently disclosed that he hasn’t spoken to Thomas Tuchel directly since the World Cup about what he needs to do to regain his spot.

Tuchel’s 25-man selection will prepare for England’s November UEFA Nations League fixtures against Spain and Croatia, the matches for which this squad has been named.