Why is Phil Foden not playing in England’s World Cup opener vs Croatia today?
Once one of England’s first names on the team sheet, Manchester City star Foden was left out after a dramatic dip in form.
Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Phil Foden out of England’s 2026 World Cup squad remains one of the tournament’s biggest talking points as the Three Lions prepare to face Croatia on Wednesday. The Manchester City star was one of several high-profile omissions, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer.
Like Palmer, Foden’s attacking output has dropped considerably over the past two seasons. The Manchester City star scored 42 goals in all competitions between the start of the 2022-23 season and the end of 2023-24, but managed just 23 across the next two campaigns.
A key figure in City’s Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble-winning season in 2022-23, Foden started only 61% of the club’s matches in 2025-26, something that would have been unthinkable just 12 months earlier.
Foden ultimately paid the price for that dip in form, as well as England’s wealth of options in attacking midfield, with Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze also competing for places.
Tuchel’s “team-first” philosophy
“From day one we were clear we were trying to build the best possible team, which is not necessarily the 26 most talented players,” Tuchel explained after announcing his World Cup roster.
“Teams win championships, and what we’re trying to achieve can only be achieved as a team,” the German continued. “We have players ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.”
“We have specialists for different scenarios, when we’re leading, when we’re chasing a result. We have always said we want to be a strong set-piece team, so we have specialists for that, and we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that.”
Difficult decisions on England’s biggest stars
Although the former Chelsea coach did not mention Palmer individually, he suggested leaving out one of England’s most gifted technical players was one of the toughest parts of selecting his squad.
“I’m very confident in the group we chose,” Tuchel said. “Very difficult decisions. Painful conversations. Difficult to explain to the players. But what we try to achieve we achieve as a team.
“If everyone is selected, it’s a given we have to leave some extraordinary players and extraordinary personalities at home.”
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