Tuchel’s Shocking England Shake-Up: Foden and Bellingham Return as Number 10s Ahead of Crucial World Cup Clash

Phil Foden’s back in the England fold, and not a moment too soon, if you ask me. Thomas Tuchel, stepping up with a fresh vision, isn’t about to tuck Foden out wide on the wing—no sir, he sees the Manchester City maestro as a true number 10, right where he thrives best. After a spell on the sidelines for England, Foden’s return ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania marks a new chapter. What’s striking here is Tuchel’s faith in playing Foden centrally, echoing the spark the youngster lit up with two goals against Borussia Dortmund. Forget the old winger tag; this is about unlocking Foden’s knack for weaving through defenses and orchestrating play close to goal. It’s a move brimming with promise—and as the qualifiers heat up, Tuchel’s recalibration could just be the masterstroke England needs. LEARN MORE

Thomas Tuchel has not intention of shunting Phil Foden out to the left wing, and views him as a number 10, after recalling the Manchester City man to his England squad this morning.

Foden has not been included for the past three camps but was today handed a route back in for the World Cup qualifying doubleheader against Serbia and Albania.

The 25-year-old was regularly used on the left of a front three under Tuchel’s predecessor Gareth Southgate but the German sees him playing in a more central role, as he did to great effect with two goals for City against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.

He said: “Where Phil played against Borussia Dortmund is where I see him the strongest. He is close to the opponent’s box and a mix between a number nine and a 10. Phil scores and assists more from the 18-yard box where he scored against Dortmund. He’s in the pockets and assists.

“Main thing about him is that he gets a role in the central part of the pitch. I don’t see him as a winger anymore. He should have a central role that will bring out his strengths most. We’ve talked about this already with him.”

Bellingham has been ‘immense’ for Real Madrid – Tuchel

Foden was joined in the squad by Jude Bellingham with the Real Madrid midfielder also recalled after returning to full fitness.

“We are delighted they are back. Their contribution to their clubs lately was immense,” Tuchel added.

“They play regularly and play a big role in the success of Real Madrid and Manchester City. They’ve scored decisive goals regularly. We are delighted they are in form and back with us.”

Tuchel hinted he wanted Bellingham to play off captain Harry Kane, potentially in the role Foden would also occupy, raising questions as to whether they can start in the same XI.

“Jude comes back as a number 10. That’s his best position. One of his key strengths is to score from this position,” he said.

“He has the ability to arrive and score goals that a number nine would score, which is very unusual. It might seem like easy goals, but to arrive in these positions is one of his outstanding qualities. We will try to find space for him in the number 10 position to arrive and score these goals.”

Scott included for the first time

Alex Scott was handed a maiden call-up while Adam Wharton, Nick Pope, Nico O’Reilly were also included.

James Trafford, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were left out due to being “outperformed” by positional rivals while Ollie Watkins was omitted due to a niggling injury.

On Bournemouth midfielder Scott, Tuchel said: “He deserves to be with us. I first saw him closely in the Euros with the Under-21s where he was excellent with Elliot Anderson. Since then, he has stepped up really well and is a regular starter for Bournemouth.

“He has come a long way and has performed his way into this nomination. He will get a number eight role and hopefully he can prove us right and show his personality.”

There are just two more friendlies following this international break for players to stake their claims for a place in the squad for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer and Tuchel admitted he knew the bulk of the group he wanted to take.

“I have a settled mind but I will also be open because I know anything can happen,” he said. “You don’t wish for injuries but it can happen at short notice.

“My thoughts now is more for the camps for September, October and November. But my thoughts for the World Cup will then start after this camp and the qualification phase is over. This was an important cycle for me and this is the third part of the cycle, so it’s not finished. This is where all the attention goes now.

“Then comes the March camp. I think it’s important for me to reconnect after these three camps with all 55-60 players on the long list and be in close contact and see them, meet them and text them. This will be my job to do and then we will have the phase in March which could be even busier for some of our players and their clubs.

“We have to stay open-minded because young players can come through – those who are struggling for minutes can play important roles for their clubs. I need to make sure the door is always open and they are on their toes and they have a chance to be with us.

“The final nomination is only in May and until then, anything can happen.”

England have already qualified for the finals, rendering the last two pool games, against Serbia on Thursday and Albania three days later, meaningless.

How to watch England World Cup qualifiers: TV channel, live online stream

England’s closing qualifiers are being shown live in the UK on ITV1. Kick-off against Serbia is at 19:45 GMT on Thursday, with the game away to Albania starting at 17:00.

Fans can stream the action via ITV’s website and ITVX app, which is available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the go.

Is that the goal that sends England to the World Cup? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏆

Kane doubles England’s lead with a fine strike ⚽️⚽️#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/X2jkXocWR1

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 14, 2025

England football team World Cup qualifying fixtures

Friday, March 21: England 2-0 Albania

Monday, March 24: England 3-0 Latvia

Saturday, June 7: Andorra 0-1 England

Saturday, September 6: England 2-0 Andorra

Tuesday, September 9: Serbia 0-5 England

Tuesday, October 14: Latvia 0-5 England

Thursday, November 13: England vs Serbia (19:45 GMT)

Sunday, November 16: Albania vs England (17:00)

England: World Cup 2026 qualifying path

The top team from each of the 12 European Qualifier groups proceeds automatically to the finals, which will be expanded to 48 teams.

The 12 runners-up in each group will join four Nations League teams in the play-offs, which will be drawn from pots based on teams’ records during the campaign. The games will comprise single-leg semi-finals and finals.

The draw for the World Cup finals will take place in December 2025. The tournament runs from June 11 until July 19 2026.