England

Why is Harry Kane not playing for England vs Uruguay today?

England face Uruguay at Wembley on Friday, but Thomas Tuchel’s squad has several high-profile absences.

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Update: Mar 27th, 2026 13:40 EDT

England captain Harry Kane will not play for England against Uruguay despite being called into the squad for Friday’s friendly against the South Americans and Tuesday’s World Cup warm-up matchup with Japan.

Tuchel rotates England squad for Uruguay friendly

In an unusual move, England head coach Thomas Tuchel initially named 35 players for the doubleheader but later revealed the roster would split into two groups for this week’s games. Concerned about the number of minutes some players have been logging, the German has opted to give 11 stars the night off when Uruguay visit Wembley.

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

That group includes Kane, along with key Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. The 11 players who will not feature Friday are Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Elliot Anderson, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guéhi, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Dean Henderson.

All 11 players are expected to rejoin the squad for Tuesday’s clash against Japan, also at Wembley. A number of other players are expected to return to their clubs between the two games, although Tuchel has yet to reveal which ones.

Kane rested after injury setback

Kane’s game time with Bayern Munich has been more limited than usual in recent weeks after the 32-year-old suffered a calf issue at the beginning of March. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker played the full 90 minutes of Bayern’s most recent Bundesliga fixture, but Tuchel has decided to take it easy on his captain, who will soon face Real Madrid in two high-intensity Champions League matches.

Here we go. It's your #ThreeLions squad for March camp! 👀
— England (@England) March 20, 2026

Bellingham also managed carefully

Although Jude Bellingham is not among the 11 players rested against Uruguay, Tuchel also made clear he will not take any risks with the midfielder.

Bellingham recently missed 10 Real Madrid games because of a hamstring injury, only making his return as a 16-minute substitute in the derby win against Atlético Madrid last weekend.

No room for Trent

Bellingham’s Real Madrid teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold was not selected for the games by Tuchel due to a “sporting choice”.