Tuchel claims Bellingham has a fight on his hands to earn World Cup starting spot
By Sky News, June 8, 2026Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham has a battle on his hands to secure an England starting place as the competition for World Cup places heats up under the West Palm Beach sun.
Morgan Rogers got the nod ahead of Bellingham in World Cup qualifying; the Aston Villa man was the only England player to feature in each of the eight matches. The Real Madrid star featured in only four.
When asked whether Bellingham has a fight on his hands to be in the starting XI, Tuchel said, “Yes, he has.
Roles can change
“He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters. These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are like 14 or 15 proper starters, and Jude is one of them.”
Bellingham out-performed his friend Rogers against New Zealand in Tampa when each played 45 minutes in the No. 10 role. Tuchel admits he has been impressed with what he has seen of the 22-year-old recently.
“He [Jude] looks good. He looks good in training. I think he is at the moment in a sweet spot because he has had his break and he has the hunger to be back on the pitch and after injury, this is normal. And he is so happy to be back on the pitch. You take everything in.”
Tuchel again refused to say whether Bellingham was part of England’s ‘leadership group’, a key selection of senior players who meet separately from the main squad to talk through tactical approaches and other important matters with the head coach and his assistant, Anthony Barry. It is a structure Tuchel has stuck with, after it was first introduced by his predecessor, Sir Gareth Southgate.
Captain against New Zealand
Bellingham wore the captain’s armband for the first time for the whole of the second half in Saturday’s friendly win over New Zealand, but Tuchel said with a smile that was only because he was the player on the pitch at the time with the most international caps.
The England head coach has also revealed more details about how he sees the pecking order in the camp right now, with the opening World Cup against Croatia to come on June 17. It seems that in among the 26, there are three distinct groups in Tuchel’s mind.
“We have 14 or 15 potential starters and then there is a special group…and then there are guys who finish matches for us and get the energy right.”
The news of Bellingham not being guaranteed a start comes as Tuchel confirmed that Declan Rice will be the vice-captain for the Three Lions this summer.