World Cup 2026 squads announced - who made the cut and who was the biggest surprise or omission

[Karen76]

National team managers have been finalising their 26-man World Cup squads ahead of the June 11 tournament opener. With the expanded 48-team format and a very broad range of nations competing, the squad selection stories across the major nations have been interesting. England, Brazil, Argentina, France, Germany and Spain have all had notable selection decisions to discuss.

Tuchel's England squad had some interesting choices given the depth of talent available and the need to balance tournament experience with in-form players. Brazil's transition post-Neymar era continues. Argentina without Messi as a certainty to start is the adjustment story of the tournament.

[ParallelSelf90]

England will miss foden and palmer. France have enough for three teams. Brazil seem underwhelming for me

[Fan]

Brazil's attacking depth is extraordinary - Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Endrick, Raphinha, Gabriel Martinelli. The defensive questions and the continuing search for a midfield organiser are what makes me uncertain about how far they go rather than how many goals they score

[Storm52]

The depth problem for England is genuinely a good problem. Tuchel has to leave out players who would walk into most other international squads. The question is whether the selections reward current form or tournament experience and whether those two things are pointing at the same players

[Josh_79]

France have the most loaded squad in the tournament on paper. Mbappe, Dembele, Griezmann, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Saliba. The question is always whether Deschamps can organise that talent into a coherent unit rather than a collection of individuals

[RandyOrton26]

Argentina's squad is the most interesting tactical study. They won in 2022 as a team built entirely around Messi's movement patterns. The challenge for Scaloni is adapting the system to be dangerous when he is not the focal point without simply hoping Messi plays 90 minutes in every game

[One-One-Five]

Germany naming a relatively young squad is either brave or naive depending on how the tournament unfolds. Experience in knockout football matters and the current squad is lighter on it than recent German generations

[Clever Wrench]

The qualification of nations like Uzbekistan, Cape Verde and Panama making their first or second ever World Cup is the expanded format delivering exactly what FIFA hoped. Those debutant nations bring something to the tournament that a second Denmark or third European qualifier does not