England squad revealed by Gareth Southgate ahead of World Cup in Qatar

England have announced their squad for the World Cup, with James Maddison and Callum Wilson among the 26 players heading to Qatar.

Manager Gareth Southgate’s picks also include Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham.

Those missing out include Brentford striker Ivan Toney, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and Roma striker Tammy Abraham.

The manager has largely stuck with experienced players with the most notable additions being Leicester’s James Maddison and Newcastle’s Callum Wilson.

Maddison’s only previous cap was as a substitute against Montenegro in 2019.

Southgate said he’d made the decision to include Maddison two weeks ago saying that he was “playing really well” and had “earned the right” to be in the squad.

He added: “We think he can give us something slightly different to the other attacking players we’ve got.

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“I think at various stages there have been conversations, debates about James – there’s been moments where ahead of the Euros I don’t think he was in contention and (in) September was probably a fair debate, but I think he’s playing as well as any of the attacking players in this country.”

Asked if his squad contained everything necessary to win a World Cup, Southgate said: “We’ve wanted to make sure the balance of the squad is right.

“I think the squad is more important than ever. With five substitutes you can have almost half the team changed during the game so you want different options for different moments of matches and stages at the tournament as well.

“We’ve had to cover a couple of players that aren’t yet fully fit, so having 26 available meant we were probably able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23, but we think the balance is there and we’ve got cover in the positions we need.

“We’re lighter on depth in some positions than others but we think we’ve got everything covered.”

Addressing some of the issues around the World Cup being held in Qatar, Southgate declined to say whether or not the players would be taking the knee during the tournament, saying that was a decision for the players to take themselves.

The tournament begins on 20 November and England’s first match is a day later against Iran at 1pm UK time.

Their second match is against the USA on 25 November, followed by a final group game with Wales on 29 November. Both games start at 7pm.

Some of the squad have barely a week off before their campaign begins as Premier League games are being played this weekend.

If England make it through as group winners, their knockout game will be on 4 December, and on 3 December if they finish second.

The last two major tournaments have seen the Three Lions come close to glory but ultimately falling short.

They lost 2-1 to Croatia in the semi-final of the last World Cup, and were beaten on penalties by Italy in the final of the Euros last summer.

The Three Lions squad in full:

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