England squad for World Cup qualifiers
Tuchel surprises again with nomination
05/23/2025 – 11:43 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
While the DFB team is allowed to run in the Nations League, other nations play games about the World Cup qualification. So also Vice European Champion England, where coach Tuchel has a surprise ready again.
In parallel to the Nations League final tournament, games will also be held in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup at the beginning of June. The English national team with coach Thomas Tuchel is in action.
The former Bayern coach produced headlines in England with a surprising squad nomination for the qualification game against Andorra (June 7) and for the friendly against Senegal on June 10th.
As the English Association reported on X on Friday, attacker Ivan Toney has been appointed to the squad of England for the first time since the European Championship 2024 and since moving to Saudi Arabia.
The 29-year-old switched from Premier League club FC Brentford to Al Ahli SFC in August 2024, where he plays alongside other former England professionals such as Riyad Mahrez or Roberto Firmino. In his first season in the Saudi Pro League, he scored 29 goals in 43 competitive games. Since the league in the desert state is difficult to keep up with the European top leagues internationally, the nomination came as a surprise to many observers.
The striker made his debut for England in March 2023, has been on six caps since then. So far, for the last time he was on the square for the “Three Lions” in the European Championship final in Berlin against Spain (1: 2) when he was substituted in the 89th minute.
Toney’s appointment is not the first unexpected nomination of Tuchel. Already at the last international period in March, the 51-year-old surprised with the return campaign of the former Liverpooler and almost 35-year-old Jordan Henderson, who is now running for Ajax Amsterdam. He had not played an international game for around 16 months and was there again.