Ezri Konsa is now expected to start for England at the World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel leaning toward a team that also includes Jude Bellingham and John Stones. That leaves Morgan Rogers and Marc Guehi on the outside of two selection battles that have defined the build-up to Croatia.
Tuchel said he had “14 or 15” players in mind to start England’s World Cup opener against Croatia next week, a narrow enough pool to make Wednesday’s final warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando feel like a dress rehearsal rather than a trial run. The lineup that began there is expected to stay close to the one he picks when England open the tournament.
Bellingham over Rogers
Bellingham is set to win the race ahead of Rogers for the No 10 role, resolving the most fiercely debated call in the side. England’s attack now appears to be built around the midfielder Tuchel trusts most in the central role, rather than the more rotational option beside him.
That choice carries more than shape and selection-room politics. Tuchel has already said, “I don't agree with the squad he's picked,” and the reported lean toward Bellingham suggests he is willing to settle on a narrower core rather than spread minutes across similar options before the opener.
Stones and Konsa
Stones and Konsa are expected to start as England’s first-choice central defensive pairing, pushing Guehi out of the opening XI despite the wider view that he is the country’s leading centre-back. Guardiola picked Guehi ahead of Stones in the final months of the season after Guehi’s move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City, and Stones’ campaign was heavily disrupted by injury.
The shift points to a different preference in the middle of the back line. Guehi became central to England’s plans during Euro 2024, but Tuchel’s emerging preference appears to be for more physicality, which favors Stones and Konsa for the first match against Croatia.
Croatia selection call
England’s start against Croatia next week will be the first real test of whether that balance holds. If Tuchel keeps the Orlando team intact, Bellingham, Stones and Konsa will have won the most important selection battles, and the opener will begin with his preferred structure already in place.
