Tuchel hands Jobe Bellingham and Josh King first England call-ups

Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for November's UEFA Nations League fixtures, handing first senior call-ups to Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham and Fulham's Josh King while leaving Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo out of the 25-man group.

England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday 12 November (19:45 UK) before travelling to Madrid to face Spain on Sunday 15 November (19:45 UK), the final two group games of 2026. Finishing first or second would put the Three Lions into next March's Nations League quarter-finals.

First call-ups for Jobe Bellingham and Josh King

England Football confirmed both Jobe Bellingham and King as first-time senior inclusions from the under-21 pathway. Jobe joins his brother Jude in the squad after establishing himself as a regular at Dortmund. King, 19, trained with the seniors at England's pre-World Cup camp in Florida and has impressed for Fulham this season.

On Jobe's selection, Tuchel told England Football: "I think the door should always be open for the pathway and for those that have delivered special performances over a long period of time — that's what Jobe has done. He's found his rhythm with Dortmund, has had an excellent start to the season and is a regular starter now. We have Myles (Lewis-Skelly) suspended for the match against Croatia, so there's an opportunity for him and he comes in on his own merit."

Tuchel also highlighted King's versatility. "I want to see him on both wings and he's an extra player that we can use. Josh can play all four positions and he made a big impression in the US and has had a good start to the season," the head coach said. "He gives us a bit of flexibility and he's a young player, an exciting player."

Palmer, Foden and Mainoo left out

Chelsea's Palmer, Manchester City's Foden and Manchester United midfielder Mainoo are all omitted. Sky Sports reported that England's Thursday medical checks with Chelsea confirmed Palmer was fully fit, yet Tuchel still left him out.

Speaking about Palmer, Tuchel said the "door is always open" and added, according to Sky Sports: "I guess everyone is desperate to play for England, Cole is no exception. It counts when you're in camp. I said last time, he misses too many opportunities to impress. The players who were in camp built something extraordinary. It's not personal."

Tuchel told Sky Sports that England will "always reward" those who "walk the talk" and come into camp. Foden remains out of favour despite recent club form, while Mainoo withdrew from the previous squad with an unspecified injury.

Returns, injuries and the quarter-final push

Declan Rice and Inter Milan full-back Djed Spence return after missing the last camp through injury. Arsenal's Ben White is back for the first time since March after a World Cup summer injury. Jordan Pickford, Jason Steele and James Trafford are the goalkeepers, with Harry Kane leading the attack. Kane equalled Peter Shilton's men's record of 125 caps in the last window and could become England's most-capped men's player if he features against Croatia.

Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford are among those ruled out through injury, Sky Sports and The Guardian reported, along with Trevoh Chalobah and Tino Livramento. Alex Scott is out with a thigh problem from the previous camp, helping open a midfield place for Jobe and Everton's James Garner. Nico O'Reilly was left out short of full fitness.

England are second in the group after beating Czechia 3-0 at Wembley last month. For that window, see BetAlert's Croatia 0-7 England and England 3-0 Czechia reports.

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