Tuchel hands Scott England debut despite World Cup omission

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott is set to make his senior England debut despite being left out of the Three Lions’ final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

England manager Thomas Tuchel is expected to hand the 22-year-old a chance in upcoming warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica as preparations continue ahead of the tournament in North America.

Scott was not included in the final 26-man World Cup squad but travelled to England’s training camp in Florida as part of a group of supplementary players brought in to support preparations.

The midfielder is among five standby players expected to feature in the friendly fixtures due to the delayed arrival of several first-team stars.

England are currently without Arsenal quartet Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke, who were granted additional time off following their UEFA Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson is also yet to join the squad after helping his club win the UEFA Conference League.

The absences have created opportunities for Scott and other young players to impress during the training camp.

Scott is joined in the supplementary group by Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha, Fulham’s Josh King, Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele and Arsenal midfielder Ethan Nwaneri.

The Bournemouth midfielder enjoyed an impressive season, helping his club secure qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

Tuchel admitted that leaving Scott out of the final World Cup squad was a difficult decision and praised the midfielder’s reaction after learning he had missed out.

The England coach said: “I’m really happy these guys are with us, especially Alex, who was with us in the list of 55 and had a kind of disappointing phone call as well, that he didn’t make the first cut.”

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Tuchel added: “But the reaction of him was outstanding, the commitment, the wish to be in pre-camp and to just be a step closer to the team was not even a question for him.”

The German manager said Scott’s attitude during the process further strengthened his opinion of the player.

He said: “He showed me his character and his spirit so I’m delighted that he’s with us because it was a close call.”

England will use the friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica to fine-tune preparations before opening their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17.

For Scott, the matches could provide a long-awaited senior international debut and an opportunity to push his case for future England selections despite missing out on the World Cup squad.

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