Tuchel’s 35 man squad trimmed down to 24 for England’s match against Uruguay, who is sitting and why
Over the next two weeks Thomas Tuchel will get his final up close and personal look at the players he is most likely to take to the World Cup this summer.
World Cup preparations are underway across the world as national teams that are heading to North America this summer get one last international break to tune up before kicking off the competition in June.
Tuchel calls up half of England
Thomas Tuchel’s England have their first of two matches on Friday when the Three Lions take on Uruguay from Wembley. Tuchel selected a 35 man squad which is something atypical for a manager getting set to select a final squad for the World Cup, but maybe even more unusual is the fact that a third of those players will sit the first match to ensure they get their rest.
There are a few reasons behind Tuchel’s decision to name such a long list of players. As he stated after making the official squad announcement. “These guys have played 3,500 minutes, some 4,000 minutes [this season]. More important than the pure number of minutes is some of these guys have played more minutes than the whole of last season,” said the England manager.
Thomas Tuchel says Harry Kane is one of 11 players who will join the England camp late and miss the first friendly against Uruguay: "All of all of these guys have played 3,500 plus minutes. Some of them have 4,000 minutes (..) All of these players have contributed in September,… pic.twitter.com/eGvdb6ei6A
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 20, 2026
Harry Kane is one of those players that will sit in the first match against Uruguay. Kane has played over 3,000 minutes in 40 matches with Bayern Munich and has scored 48 goals over the course of the season. His spot is secure in Tuchel’s squad, and will without question be featured in the XI during each match this summer.
Kane, Saka Rice resting Friday
Kane is one of 11 players that will not be counted on for the Uruguay match. Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson will be available for the match against Japan but Tuchel has prioritized giving his guys rest for the next few days and keeping them fresh for the final stretch of the club season in hopes that will carry over into the World Cup.
Tuchel names his 35-man England squad for internationals with Uruguay and Japan 🦁 pic.twitter.com/4TKr9DUtAi
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) March 20, 2026
With some of those more set players on the verge of a much needed break, the door will open for some of the other players on the fringe to make an impact. With Burn, Guehi and O’Reilly sitting against Uruguay and Trent Alexander-Arnold left off the squad, defenders like Harry Maguire, John Stones and Ben White will try and catch the eye of Tuchel.
The case is the same in the midfield and up top. There will be an open competition for the remaining spots in which Tuchel may needed a little convincing. That what is going to make these next two England matches so interesting, especially the one on Friday against Uruguay.
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