Friday brings the last England squad announcement of 2026, and Thomas Tuchel will reveal his group at 10am local time before a press conference the same day.

Two Nations League fixtures follow. Croatia visit Wembley on 12 November, with Spain hosting England in Seville three days later, both games confirmed on the England schedule.

Josh King knocking on the door

The clearest candidate for a first senior cap, according to BBC Sport, is Josh King. The 19-year-old Fulham midfielder has started all eight of the club’s opening Premier League matches, scoring twice and leading Marco Silva’s team for league goals.

King travelled with an England preparation squad before the summer’s World Cup and has continued to impress for the under-21s. The obstacle is traffic: Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze already cluster around the number 10 slot King is pushing into.

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Will Lankshear and the striker question

The other debut shout has a very different profile. Will Lankshear, 21, left Tottenham for Middlesbrough in the summer and has repaid the move quickly, reaching double-digit Championship goals and helping send Boro top of the table after a 5-1 win at Bolton.

Only Harry Kane commands the England number nine shirt with any authority, and the shortage of alternatives has been a theme of this cycle. A senior call for a Championship striker would be unusual, but Lankshear’s run has coincided with a window where Kane has no obvious understudy.

Also in the mix among debut hopefuls, as BBC Sport notes, is Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a 28-year-old who turned down Republic of Ireland approaches to keep himself available for England. James Garner was preferred when late call-ups were made last window.

Henderson’s free-kick for Chelsea

The highest-profile potential recall is Jordan Henderson. The 36-year-old has not played for England since breaking his arm after the World Cup meeting with Mexico, but his Chelsea form has demanded a second look.

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Henderson scored twice and provided an assist in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth on 10 October, including a long-range free-kick, in a performance that drew wide attention to a player many had assumed was past international football.

Ben White is another name in play. The 29-year-old Arsenal defender missed the summer tournament with a knee injury and his familiarity with Bukayo Saka is seen as useful, though Saka himself is out of this international break after picking up a quadriceps problem in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich.

Morgan Gibbs-White remains close to the group too. The Nottingham Forest midfielder joined the last camp as a late replacement, leaving a family holiday to do so, and featured in every match without starting.

Tuchel’s selection lands on Friday morning, with Croatia at Wembley a week later.

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