Harry Maguire was omitted from England's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup announced May 22 at Wembley Stadium, confirming his exclusion from the tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico [1, 2, 3]. England manager Thomas Tuchel chose other defenders including Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, and Ezri Konsa over Maguire [1, 2, 4]. Maguire, 33, has won 66 international caps and been a key central defender for England, playing in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, the 2020 Euro final, and 2022 World Cup quarter-finals [5, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9]. He was recalled to the England squad in March 2026 after a strong season with Manchester United [5, 3, 9].
On May 21, Tuchel reportedly called players to inform them of squad omissions, and Maguire posted on social media he was "shocked and gutted" by the decision [5, 10, 11, 9]. Maguire wrote, "I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I've had. I've been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best" [1]. He also said, "I've loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years" [3]. Tuchel commented that Maguire's posts were "not necessary" [12].
Maguire’s family criticized the decision publicly. His brother Joe called it "the worst decision I’ve ever seen," mother Zoë said, "You couldn’t have done any more. Hold your head high … Disgraceful," and wife Fern called it "beyond devastated" and a "shame you were up against a single opinion" [8].
Maguire has an ongoing legal case from a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Greece, involving a suspended sentence; his defense team plans to appeal [8].
Other notable absentees from the squad include Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Morgan Gibbs-White [2, 4]. Manchester United teammate Luke Shaw is also expected to miss out [1]. England’s final squad includes striker Ivan Toney, who scored 32 goals in the Saudi Pro League, and veteran Jordan Henderson making his fourth World Cup appearance [2, 6, 4].
Former England captain Wayne Rooney said Maguire was "very unlucky" to miss out but trusted Tuchel’s overall squad decisions [6].
The 26-man England squad will now prepare for the World Cup starting later this year in the US, Canada, and Mexico [1, 2, 3].
