Date: Friday, 7 June
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Time: 19:45 BST
England manager Gareth Southgate has announced his final 26-man squad for Euro 2024, a day before England’s last warm-up match against Iceland at Wembley Stadium. Southgate, aiming to provide clarity and focus for his players, finalized the squad on Thursday, ahead of the Friday deadline at 23:00 BST.
Initially, Southgate had selected a 33-man provisional squad. However, the final list sees the exclusion of several notable names including goalkeeper James Trafford, defenders Jarrad Branthwaite, Harry Maguire, and Jarell Quansah, midfielder Curtis Jones, and forwards Jack Grealish and James Maddison.
“I didn’t want to keep the players waiting until Friday – that would have been a mess, really,” Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live. “It wouldn’t have been fair on the players that we’ve released and wouldn’t have been fair on the players that were waiting to have confirmation they were in.”
Liverpool’s young centre-back Jarell Quansah will remain with the squad for the Iceland match but will not travel to Germany unless there are injuries. England is set to face an Iceland team that missed out on Euro 2024 qualification after a 2-1 defeat to Ukraine in the play-offs.
Reflecting on the selection process, Southgate acknowledged the anxiety and challenges faced by the players but emphasized the importance of focusing on the upcoming match and the tournament.
“Inevitably, we knew when we named a 33 there would be a period of a nice prep camp, and then there were going to be a couple of days where there would be a lot of anxiety and difficult days,” added Southgate. “But now everybody’s heads are clear, they can look forward to the game, and when they come back in on Sunday they can really start looking forward to the tournament.”
The current squad contrasts significantly with the team that reached the Euro 2020 final, missing key players such as Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips, Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Jack Grealish. Southgate defended his selections, balancing loyalty to experienced players with the need to field those best equipped to win.
“It’s an important part of building a team, but also you have got to pick the players you think will give you the best chance of winning,” Southgate explained.
England Squad for Euro 2024:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Dropped from the Original 33-Man Shortlist: James Trafford (Burnley, goalkeeper), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton, defender), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool, defender), Harry Maguire (Manchester United, defender), Curtis Jones (Liverpool, midfielder), Jack Grealish (Manchester City, forward), James Maddison (Tottenham, forward).
The match against Iceland will serve as England’s final preparation before embarking on their Euro 2024 campaign, with Southgate hopeful that the selected squad will bring success in the tournament.