World Cup 2026: Should Kobbie Mainoo make the England Squad?

The next few months are going to be very important for the English footballers who have ambitions of representing their country at the Fifa World Cup. The Three Lions won't be short of options given the wide array of talent available. We have an idea of what Thomas Tuchel's squad will look like but there is still room for a few wildcards.

Below I assess the chances of Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo getting selected next summer.

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Right now, Mainoo's chances of representing his country across the Atlantic for the 2026 World Cup are slim. Despite his talent, he finds himself out of favour under United boss Ruben Amorim.

The midfielder is currently behind Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and arguably Manuel Ugarte in the pecking order. Many supporters have been perplexed given the fact that he is an impressive young player who they feel is only going to get better.

In the Premier League, the academy graduate has made just nine appearances and all of them have come from the substitute's bench.

As things stand, Mainoo's long-term future at Old Trafford looks uncertain. As we edge closer to the January transfer window, the player could be given a difficult choice to make.

England boss Tuchel has already been firing warnings to other players with World Cup ambitions - notably Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly - saying that he needs to be playing regularly for him to be considered for the Three Lions.

Today's Football Fixtures

The full-back is another who could be busy next month in a pursuit of consistent minutes, so if Mainoo wishes to be under consideration by Tuchel, he needs to be a starter somewhere.

The 20-year-old's cause is also not helped by the fierce competition for places in the midfield with the likes of Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, James Garner and even veteran Jordan Henderson.

All of those players are regular fixtures on the team sheet for their respective clubs and so for Mainoo to challenge them for a spot on the plane, at the very least he needs to be playing a lot more frequently than he currently is at United.

A transfer in January might be the solution for him and not just to improve his World Cup chances, but to also continue his development. A player of his age needs to be involved in matches consistently as this is key for this stage of his growth on a football pitch.

England World Cup 2026 Squad Odds

United would probably entertain both permanent and loan offers in January but any club with a proposal needs to offer Mainoo what the Red Devils cannot at this moment in time.

Whether he moves on and plays regularly in the second half of the campaign, the competition in midfield may still be an obstacle for Mainoo to make the World Cup squad, hence his 5/1 price.