England World Cup squad and fixtures: James Maddison ‘earned’ place in squad

James Maddison has only one senior cap for England

(Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

published 10 November 2022

After months of speculation, England’s squad for the 2022 Fifa World Cup has finally been confirmed – and Gareth Southgate has sprang a few surprises in his 26-man line-up heading to Qatar.

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Speaking to the media after his announcement today, Southgate praised Leicester star Maddison and said he had “earned the right” for a seat on the plane to Qatar. “He’s playing really well – he’s a good player, we’ve always said that,” said the Three Lions boss. “He can give us something slightly different to the other attacking players we’ve got. He is playing as well as any of the attacking players in this country.”

While Maddison’s form in the Premier League has earned him a spot, Southgate has taken a “big gamble” on a few of his other picks, said Will Pickworth in the Daily Mail. Despite fitness concerns Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips both “get the nod”, with Southgate admitting that he has taken “a couple of risks” on players who are not yet fully fit. “We’ve had to cover a couple of players who aren’t fully fit,” he said. “So having 26 available we’ve been able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23.”

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand told Metro that although Maguire “hasn’t let England down ever”, his form has “gone out the window” for United and he isn’t in the team. “Going into a tournament, I couldn’t think of another worst-case scenario,” Ferdinand said. “I would be concerned about that. But to be fair to him, Harry hasn’t let Gareth down. It could be blind trust, I don’t know. But he does trust him.”

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Benjamin White (Arsenal), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Conor Coady (Everton, on loan from Wolves), Luke Shaw (Man Utd)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Man City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Man City), James Maddison (Leicester City)

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Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.