England manager Thomas Tuchel has unveiled his selection for the October international break, which includes a friendly against Wales before a World Cup qualifier in Rīga against Latvia on the 14th.
The squad is missing some big names. Jude Bellingham, who only returned to action in late September after shoulder surgery, has not been recalled despite featuring in four games for Real Madrid since his comeback. Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Everton’s Jack Grealish – who was voted Premier League Player of the Month in August – are also absent. On the brighter side, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is back in contention.
Up front, Tuchel will lean heavily on Harry Kane. The Bayern Munich striker has been unstoppable in Germany, smashing in ten goals from his first five Bundesliga outings – far ahead of anyone else in the league. Kane remains one of just four England players operating outside the Premier League.
England enter the break in a commanding position at the top of Group K. Latvia, meanwhile, have managed only two goals and four points from five qualifiers, sitting fourth and just ahead of Andorra.
The sides last met in March, when England cruised to a 3-0 win at Wembley thanks to goals from Reece James, Kane, and Eberechi Eze. All three are once again part of Tuchel’s squad for the upcoming matches.
England squad for the October international break:
Goalkeepers
- Jordan Pickford – Everton
- Dean Henderson – Crystal Palace
- James Trafford – Manchester City
Defenders
- John Stones – Manchester City
- Marc Guéhi – Crystal Palace
- Reece James – Chelsea
- Ezri Konsa – Aston Villa
- Myles Lewis-Skelly – Arsenal
- Dan Burn – Newcastle
- Djed Spence – Tottenham
- Jarell Quansah – Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
Midfielders
- Jordan Henderson – Brentford
- Declan Rice – Arsenal
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek – AC Milan (Italy)
- Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa
- Morgan Gibbs-White – Nottingham Forest
- Elliot Anderson – Nottingham Forest
Forwards
- Harry Kane – Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Marcus Rashford – Barcelona (Spain)
- Bukayo Saka – Arsenal
- Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa
- Jarrod Bowen – West Ham
- Anthony Gordon – Newcastle
- Eberechi Eze – Arsenal
World Cup 2026 qualifying Group K
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | PTS |
| 1 | England | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | Albania | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Serbia | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
| 4 | Latvia | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| 5 | Andorra | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
