Why isn’t Cole Palmer playing in England’s World Cup clash against Panama?

England‘s 2026 World Cup campaign continues against Panama on Saturday, with some fans still bemused by Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave Cole Palmer off his roster for the tournament. The Chelsea playmaker was among several high-profile omissions, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden, despite many expecting him to make England’s final 26-man squad.

Cole out in the cold

Palmer, like Chelsea, did not enjoy his best season and has made only three appearances for England since the start of 2025. However, as one of the Premier League’s most decisive attacking players in recent years, many, including Nike, which featured him in a World Cup commercial, assumed he was a lock for Tuchel’s squad.

That wasn’t the case.

Palmer’s production in front of goal has dipped since his breakthrough 2023-24 campaign with the Blues, when he scored 25 goals in 45 appearances. He followed that with 18 goals in 52 games before managing just 11 in 34 matches last season.

Palmer ultimately paid the price for that drop 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.

“Teams win championships”

“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.”

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Tough calls on big England names

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.”

England vs Panama: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.

On matchday three of the 2026 World Cup group stage, England take on Panama today, Saturday, June 27, with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT.

Played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Group H game will be available for U.S. viewers to watch on FOX Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One and fubo. You’ll also be able to follow live-text commentary of the action right here at AS USA.

What do England need against Panama?

After picking up four points from their first two group games, England are now certain to reach the last 32 at least as one of the best third-placed teams. Against Panama, a draw will confirm a top-two finish for Tuchel’s team, who will definitely clinch first place if they equal or better Ghana’s result against Croatia.

Group L - how it stands:

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