England’s FIFA World Cup squad is missing its stars. Why that’s a good thing

England has finally realised that to win a match, a team is more necessary than star players whose egos clashed with each other on the field.

Club stars like Trent Alexander-Arnold , Phil Foden, Cole Palmer (left to right) failed to secure a spot in the squad.

England has announced its 26-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup and several prominent players have been dropped from the team. Fans debated the snubs on social media, followed by massive outrage. But England’s coach Thomas Tuchel just ended what was the biggest concern for the Three Lions: Dropping stars and turning to players who are meant for his system.

Club stars like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Harry Maguire, among others, have failed to secure a spot in the squad. The fan reaction online is predictable. But, England finally realised that to win a match, a team is more necessary than star players whose egos clashed with each other on the field.

“It was a given that from these 55 players, we have to leave out some extraordinary talent. Either way, if we would have picked all these names, some other big five names would have been out, and we would talk about these names (too). It comes with the job. These decisions bring something to the edge that is necessary,” Tuchel said after the selection.

Finding a cure

The English football team has suffered from the ailment of selecting stardom over form. Reputation-heavy selection was the norm. They always had a five-star team on paper, but could hardly deliver on the world’s most important pitch. The last and only time the England men’s football team won the World Cup was in 1966.

In the 2000s, the “Golden Generation” of the country’s football stars failed to win a single major international tournament. The squad? Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Sol Campbell in the defence. David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Paul Scholes in the midfield. And Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen in the attack.

These names are enough to shake an opponent, even today. But this team could hardly go beyond the quarter-finals of any major international tournament.

The team has struggled to turn individual brilliance into collective success.

This time, however, they have selected a squad for the football they want to play instead of the names fans in the stand would want to see.

Tuchel’s bold move

Tuchel broke the stigma. His selection suggests England has finally learned its lesson. He chose form over status, fitness over being a club superstar and squad balance over individual skills. The boldest move which the German-origin coach pulled off was to drop Alexander-Arnold, Palmer and Foden.

Alexander-Arnold, a right-back, went to La Liga to represent Real Madrid. He categorically chose not to utilise his space in the wing, as La Liga is considered a much slower league compared to the English Premier League. Currently, only a few players can compete with him when it comes to precision through balls or creativity at the defensive third.

But Tuchel’s playbook relies on a balanced team, pressing, and positional discipline. If we consider these three, Alexander-Arnold doesn’t deserve a place in the current squad due to his recent defensive errors.

Foden was omitted from the squad due to a drop in form, fatigue from a packed fixture schedule, and a lack of a clear tactical fit within Tuchel’s system. Palmer, too, missed out due to the same reasons.

Tuchel’s move is on par with wanting to deliver on big platforms. It’s why the squad feels different this year.

Football over stardom

In 2022, Argentina’s squad consisted of players who would prop up the stars on the field. They went on to become the champions that year. France, too, has repeatedly changed their squads without being emotionally attached to previous generations.

Kudos to Tuchel for trying to change England’s mentality. But will England continue this strategy in the future?

The logic makes sense for international tournaments. They are usually much shorter and coaches should pick the best on-form player currently available.

Whether this approach finally delivers a trophy remains uncertain. But England may already have achieved something more important: Breaking the belief that reputation and stardom alone earns you a spot in the World Cup squad.

Views are personal.

(Edited by Theres Sudeep)