Let me give you the conclusion before the detail: England’s injury list looks scarier than it is. The four players genuinely ruled out — Levi Colwill (ACL), Ben White (knee), Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh) and Jack Grealish (foot) — are squad-depth options rather than guaranteed starters, and every one of them was decided before Thomas Tuchel named his 26. Inside that squad, Tino Livramento (thigh) and Djed Spence (jaw) carried recent knocks but were still selected. The only line that should genuinely worry an England fan is the one that didn’t happen: captain Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are fully fit. That is why the bookmakers haven’t blinked, and why I am not treating this as a story that changes England’s tournament.
THE QUICK VERSION
England’s confirmed injury absentees for the 2026 World Cup are Levi Colwill (ACL), Ben White (knee), Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh) and Jack Grealish (foot) — all ruled out before Thomas Tuchel named his 26. Inside the squad, Tino Livramento (thigh) and Djed Spence (jaw) carried recent knocks but were selected. Crucially, captain Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are fully fit, so the spine is intact. None of the absentees were nailed-on starters, which is why England’s outright price has not moved — they sit around 6.50–7.50 (decimal, varies by bookmaker), behind Spain and France. The opener is England v Croatia, Wednesday 17 June, 21:00 UK time.
England World Cup 2026 injury list at a glance
Here is the picture as it stands. The first four players are out of the tournament; the last two are in the 26 but were carrying knocks when the squad was confirmed. Source: club and FA injury updates cross-checked against ESPN and Sky Sports reporting around the late-May squad announcement; status accurate as of 4 June 2026.
| Player | Club | Status | Injury | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levi Colwill | Chelsea | Out | ACL (Aug 2025) | Too soon after injury — misses World Cup |
| Ben White | Arsenal | Out | Knee (May) | Ruled out |
| Jarrad Branthwaite | Everton | Out | Thigh (late April) | Ruled out |
| Jack Grealish | Man City (loan) | Out | Foot | Season-ending — no World Cup |
| Tino Livramento | Newcastle | In squad | Thigh (recovered) | Declared fit, selected |
| Djed Spence | Tottenham | In squad | Jaw (late May) | Selected despite recent knock |
The four genuine injury absences, explained
Take them one at a time, because the context matters. Levi Colwill is the most poignant. He tore his ACL back in August 2025, and although he was fit enough to feature in the FA Cup final — a game Tuchel watched in person — the manager judged the World Cup too soon for a player returning from that kind of injury. That is a fitness-management call as much as a hard injury one, and it is a defensible one: rushing a centre-back back from an ACL into a 104-match tournament summer is exactly how you turn a recovered player into a re-injured one.
Ben White picked up a knee problem in the closing weeks of Arsenal’s season and was never realistically going to recover in time. Jarrad Branthwaite suffered a serious thigh injury at the end of April, which ended any hope of a maiden major-tournament call-up. Jack Grealish, on loan at Manchester City for the season, has been dealing with a foot issue that effectively ended his campaign early. None of these are surprises, and crucially none of them dropped on Tuchel after the squad was locked in — they were known quantities he planned around.
EDITOR’S TAKE
I have watched enough England squad announcements to know that the panic over an injury list usually outruns the reality. Colwill, White, Branthwaite and Grealish are genuine losses on paper, but be honest with yourself: how many of them were starting England’s biggest games? None. The spine Tuchel actually relies on — Pickford, Rice, Bellingham, Saka and Kane — reported to camp intact, and that is the only injury news that should move your money. I have been burned before backing a side weakened by an injury that turned out to be a fourth-choice full-back, and I would urge the same caution here. Read the names, then ask the only question that matters: does this change who runs out for the opener? On the current list, it doesn’t.
Carrying knocks but selected: Livramento and Spence
Two full-backs made the cut despite recent fitness questions, and both tell you something about how thin England’s depth is in wide defensive areas. Tino Livramento had a stop-start season at Newcastle — a knee issue in September, then a thigh problem that ended his club campaign — but he was declared fit and picked. Djed Spence of Tottenham was only just back in action after a jaw problem when the squad was confirmed, yet Tuchel trusted him enough to include him. Reece James, also recently returned from a hamstring issue, completes a full-back group that has more recent medical history than Tuchel would ideally want.
Why include fitness doubts at all? Because FIFA rules allow injury replacements right up to 24 hours before a team’s first match, so naming a player who is 95% fit and assessing him in training costs nothing — if he breaks down, he can be swapped out. It is the sensible, low-risk approach, and it is the one Tuchel has taken.
Left out, but fit: selection calls, not injuries
It is worth separating the injured from the simply omitted, because the two get blurred every tournament. The following players are fit and available but were not selected — these are Tuchel’s footballing decisions, not medical ones:
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid) — overlooked again, with Reece James and Livramento preferred at right-back
- Phil Foden (Man City) — left out after a quiet season by his standards
- Cole Palmer (Chelsea) — omitted amid form and fitness questions
- Harry Maguire (Man Utd) — younger centre-backs chosen ahead of him
- Also missing out: Jarrod Bowen, Luke Shaw, Morgan Gibbs-White, Adam Wharton and Lewis Hall, among others
ESPN ran a piece on the unlucky eleven who missed Tuchel’s cut, and the strength of that list is itself the story: a country that can leave out players of this calibre is not a country whose tournament hinges on a handful of injured squad men.
Do England’s injuries change their World Cup odds?
Not materially — and the market agrees. England sit among the top three or four for the outright at roughly 6.50–7.50 (decimal odds, varies by bookmaker), behind co-favourites Spain (around 4.50–5.50) and France (around 4.80–5.80), and broadly level with or just ahead of Brazil and Argentina. The players ruled out are depth pieces; the spine is intact. The honest read is that only a late injury to Kane or Bellingham would move that line in any meaningful way.
| Team | Outright odds (decimal, indicative) | Market position |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | ~4.50–5.50 | Favourite |
| France | ~4.80–5.80 | Second favourite |
| England | ~6.50–7.50 | Third favourite |
| Brazil | ~7.50–8.50 | Fourth |
| Argentina | ~9.00 | Fifth |
Odds are indicative ranges and vary by bookmaker and over time; always check the current price before staking. The point is the direction of travel, not the decimal to two places: nothing on the injury list has dragged England out of their established band.
The betting and caution angle
If you are tempted to react to the injury news with a bet, my advice is to do the opposite — wait. The value in England this summer is not in shortening their outright on a “fully fit” narrative that was never seriously in doubt; it is in the group-stage and match-specific markets, where price moves on genuine team-news shocks. The one I would keep an alert on is a late centre-back injury: with Colwill and Branthwaite already gone, England’s defensive depth is the squad’s thinnest area, and a knock there would do more to a group-stage handicap than any of the names already ruled out.
EDITOR’S TAKE
If you are betting England this summer, the injury angle I would actually watch is the back line, not the headlines. With Colwill out and Branthwaite missing, Tuchel’s centre-back depth is thinner than the forward line everyone obsesses over, and a single training-ground knock to a first-choice defender would do more to England’s group-stage handicap price than any of the names already ruled out. That is where I would set my alert. For the outright, none of this is enough to drag England off their 6.50–7.50 band, and I would not chase a shorter price on a “fully fit squad” narrative that was never really in doubt. Treat injury news as a reason to wait for value, not a reason to pile in. Always stake what you can afford to lose, and if betting stops being fun, stop.
Responsible gambling note: betting should be fun, never a way to make money or chase losses. Only stake what you can comfortably afford to lose, set a limit before you start, and if it stops being enjoyable, stop. Help is available in the UK via BeGambleAware and the National Gambling Helpline (0808 8020 133). 18+.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which England players are injured before the 2026 World Cup?
The confirmed injury absences are Levi Colwill (ACL), Ben White (knee), Jarrad Branthwaite (thigh) and Jack Grealish (foot), all ruled out before Tuchel named his squad. Within the chosen 26, Tino Livramento (thigh) and Djed Spence (jaw) carried recent knocks but were selected. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are fully fit.
Will Harry Kane be fit for England’s World Cup opener?
Yes. As of early June there are no fitness concerns over the England captain, who reported for pre-tournament training fully fit after a prolific club season. Barring a late training-ground problem, he is expected to start England v Croatia on 17 June. He is also England’s penalty taker and a leading Golden Boot contender (around 8.00 decimal, varies by bookmaker).
Why was Levi Colwill left out of England’s squad?
Colwill tore his ACL in August 2025. He returned to play in the FA Cup final, but Tuchel judged the World Cup too soon after such a serious injury and decided against risking him over a long tournament summer. It is best described as a fitness-management call rather than a player being acutely unavailable.
Will Cole Palmer or Trent Alexander-Arnold play for England at the World Cup?
No — both were left out of the 26-man squad. Crucially, these are selection decisions, not injuries: Palmer was omitted amid form and fitness questions, while Alexander-Arnold was overlooked with Reece James and Tino Livramento preferred at right-back. Both are fit but simply not in Tuchel’s plans for this tournament.
Who replaces a key England player if they get injured during the tournament?
FIFA rules allow injury replacements up to 24 hours before a team’s first match. In terms of cover, England carry forward options behind Kane and have midfield depth behind Bellingham, while the thinnest area is central defence after the loss of Colwill and Branthwaite. England’s overall squad depth is widely regarded as among the strongest of any nation at the tournament.
Do England’s injuries make them worse value to win the 2026 World Cup?
Not really. Because the absentees are squad-depth players rather than starters, England’s outright price has stayed in its 6.50–7.50 band (decimal, varies by bookmaker), as third favourites behind Spain and France. The injury news is not a reason to back or oppose them; only a late blow to Kane or Bellingham would shift the market meaningfully.
What UK time is England v Croatia, and which channel shows it?
England open their campaign against Croatia on Wednesday 17 June at 21:00 UK time (BST). World Cup coverage in the UK is typically shared between the BBC and ITV; check the official broadcaster listings closer to the date to confirm which channel carries this specific fixture.
Could England’s injuries cause a group-stage exit in Group L?
It is very unlikely on the current injury picture. England are clear favourites in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama, and the expanded format sends the top two plus the best third-placed sides through to a Round of 32, giving them a wide margin for error. A group exit would require a major, late injury to a core player rather than anything on the present list.
The bottom line: read the names, then ask whether they change England’s first XI. On this list, they don’t — and that is exactly why the market hasn’t moved.
Mysports.AIAI World Cup Predictions, on Every Match
Mysports AI combines big data and machine learning to deliver accurate match predictions and betting analysis — watch football with a real edge.
🏆 AI Analysis – World Cup 2026
Mysports AI uses advanced data models to deliver the best odds, dark horse analysis and betting tips.
Get predictions