So long as no one gets injured or leaves the squad for any other reason, the 26 players selected by Thomas Tuchel today will be the ones representing England at the World Cup.

In the event a player has to leave the group, Tuchel can select another player on one strict condition – they must already have been named on a longer, 55-man provisional squad.

That squad – which is for internal purposes only and is not published – had to be selected by Monday, 11 May

FIFA rules state that a player in the final squad can only be replaced by a player from said provisional squad in the event of a serious injury or illness. 

This can only happen no later than 24 hours before a team’s first match at the World Cup.

England’s first World Cup game, against Croatia, takes place on 17 June.

Star names likely to miss out – who could be in the final England squad?

While predicting the makeup of any World Cup squad is almost impossible, several players are all but guaranteed a spot on the plane.

These include the likes of Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Manchester City centre-back Marc Guehi, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and, of course, captain Harry Kane.

Those players can print their boarding passes off with near certainty, but for others, there’s a nervous wait ahead.

Star names could miss out

Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer would have appeared to be guarantees for the World Cup if it were picked 18 months ago, but both players have suffered dips in form that could see them miss out altogether.

In fact, the suggestion is both of them will be missing out…

It has also been reported this morning that Trent Alexander-Arnold has not been named in squad, after an indifferent first season at Real Madrid.

There’s also some debate over who will deputise Kane as England’s second striker at the tournament. 

Villa’s Ollie Watkins, Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brighton’s Danny Welbeck have all hit double figures for goals in the Premier League this season, while Spurs forward Dominic Solanke is also in contention.