When is the England World Cup 2026 squad announced?

The World Cup 2026 fixture list is set. All 104 games are locked in and 48 teams will battle it out to pick up football's greatest honour.

World Cup 2026 marks six decades since England won the competition on home soil. It's been a long and often painful wait for a football nation that wants to be considered contender and, just occasionally, loses the run of itself.

The Three Lions have been assured of their place at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico since October, when they became the first European qualifiers for the competition.

When will Thomas Tuchel announce the England squad for World Cup 2026?

Winning the World Cup is a ludicrous target to judge Tuchel against but it's his target nonetheless. He has lots of talent at his disposal but a miserable March international break showed that there are outstanding challenges to resolve.

England won't play again before Tuchel names his squad, but what exactly is the timeline for his England World Cup 2026 squad selection and announcement?

Tuchel and 47 other international managers must first submit a preliminary squad list of up to 55 players by Monday, May 11. This is the list from which the final squad will be drawn and accounts for selection decisions, injuries, and so on.

The preliminary list can – but won't – include as few as 35 players, the same number Tuchel initially called up for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan at Wembley Stadium.

England's final World Cup squad must be submitted by Saturday, May 30. That's 18 days before England's first Group L fixture against Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Tuchel will name 26 players in his final squad to travel to the United States. They will play friendles against New Zealand and Costa Rica before their World Cup campaign gets underway.

Clubs are obliged to release players for international duty by Monday, May 25. There's an exception for teams and players the Champions League and Conference League finals, as well as the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The European finals could affect Tuchel's preparations.

Crystal Palace are still in the Conference League. Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all provided players in the latest England squad and are currently in the Champions League.

Until the first match, Tuchel and his 47 counterparts are allowed to take an additional nine players to the World Cup to take part in training.