England World Cup Squad Odds: Trent, White, Spence and Shaw to battle it out

England may have drawn to Uruguay and lost to Japan during the March international break, but Thomas Tuchel may have slightly more clarity on his final World Cup squad now due to these fixtures. 

Below I’ve taken a look at the odds for a few of the fringe players and their odds to make England’s 2026 World Cup squad. 

World Cup Odds

Tuchel will not see his players again before he has to name his final 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, so the auditions are well and truly over. Obviously the likes of Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford and Jude Bellingham are all guaranteed to be in the squad barring injury, and the odds reflect that - at around 1/50 each right now. 

However, I’m taking a look at a few of the fringe players in the squad, who have been the focus of much discussion over the past international break. All priced around EVS or above, I think they are all worthy of some discussion.

Let’s start with Djed Spence, who started against Uruguay and looks to be a decent option that can cover both full-back positions. With Kyle Walker now retired and Kieran Trippier out of favour, there is an opportunity on the right for Spence, while England’s left-side has never looked that convincing. 

His competition comes in the form of the versatile Tino Livramento and left-sided options Lewis Hall and Nico O’Reilly but despite Spurs’ poor season Spence clearly boasts quality that could see him in the final squad. 

Two other full-backs further down this list have to be discussed while we are at it, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw two members of England’s 2024 Euros squad under Sir Gareth Southgate. 

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Trent is such an enigma with England, but his talent is undeniable. I understand not starting him in international tournaments, but as Gary Lineker argues, you should include him to chuck on as a substitute when you need to create a goal.

His price of 9/4 is tempting right now given that James has injury issues and there is a chance he plays a key role in Real Madrid’s Champions League journey - as they have just knocked out Manchester City. If he wins the Champions League he will be very hard to ignore.

Luke Shaw doesn’t have the same ceiling, but he has been a reliable member of the Three Lions squad and offers experience - something this defence is lacking right now. He’s playing well for an impressive Manchester United side and so a price of 3/1 again feels large for a player of his quality - although how likely is Tuchel to pick somebody who wasn’t in his recent 35-man squad?

England World Cup Squad Odds

"I know it's a tough decision for Trent as it is for Ollie Watkins and Luke Shaw," said Thomas Tuchel in his press conference before the two friendlies. "These tough decisions come with the job. It's a sporting decision."

Ben White was included as a reward for his good Arsenal performances, but despite doing well against Japan, it does feel like a long-shot for him to make the squad - although his versatility may also boost his chances. He’s the same price as Jarrel Quansah, who has a fair amount of competition at centre-back but is impressing with Bayer Leverkusen. 

Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, Harry Maguire, John Stones and Fikayo Tomori are all competing for those spots so it looks tough for Quansah to break into the top four of those names. 

Up top, the argument for who should be Kane’s understudy continues to bubble on. Watkins was left out of this squad but looks like the most likely option at 11/8, while Dominic Solanke started against Uruguay and a good end to the season with Spurs could see him pip the Aston Villa man.

For an outside shout, how about the return of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has caught the eye at Leeds this season and was rewarded by Tuchel with a call-up for the March internationals. Arguably this is the manager’s toughest call, as none of these options have really stood up and stated their claims to be Kane’s understudy. 

Could a combination of Marcus Rashford, Jarrod Bowen and Anthony Gordon suffice, or is that too big a risk for the England boss? It would certainly free up some room elsewhere in his squad if he decides to leave all three at home, along with Ivan Toney. 

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