Recce James to miss England’s final group L clash against Panama
By Luke Oluoch, June 27, 2026England’s boss has confirmed that defender Reece James will be unavailable for England’s final group L clash against Panama on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
The Three Lions face their final group match with qualification to the knockout stages already secured.
Tuchel, however, will do without the defender for the tie against the winless side that props up the table after two losses against Ghana and Croatia.
With reports suggesting the fullback could be unavailable until well into the knockout stages of the tournament as he battles to recover, the German trainer says the team will look to fill his gap with available options.
Injured
“He has a minor hamstring injury issue. He has not been able to train in the last two days, and he is in an accelerated rehabilitation programme, and we will be taking it game by game,” he said.
The coach decried the news of James’s unavailability, stating that it was unforeseen, as the player had previously taken part in the team’s training
“We strongly believe he will be available for the tournament. No one saw it coming; he was in good shape and training. He is a key player. We would like to have him available; if he is not available, we will find solutions. That is what we do,” he added
The Chelsea skipper could be replaced by Jarrell Quansah, formerly with Liverpool, or Dan Burn, who is traditionally a left back but can also fill in the right slot.
Options
Others in contention are Djed Spence, who has applied all of England’s games in the global competition, and Trevor Chalobh, who was recalled after injury to Tino Livramento.
The Three Lions sit top of Group L after two games played with four points, the same as Ghana, who frustrated the EPL star-studded team to a 0-0 draw in their second group match.
Victory will secure England’s position as the group winners, guaranteeing them the possibility of facing a “weaker” opponent in the round of 32.
The clash will kick off at midnight.