Thomas Tuchel gave Jobe Bellingham and Josh King their first England senior call-ups in a 25-player squad announced on Friday, 6 November, for the Nations League matches against Croatia and Spain. The official announcement confirms the Borussia Dortmund and Fulham players’ promotion from the under-21 group, with Jobe joining his brother Jude in the senior selection.
Declan Rice and Djed Spence return after missing the previous camp through injury, while Ben White is selected for the first time since March. England need to avoid defeat against Croatia to secure a quarter-final place. According to the federation’s published scenario, topping the group requires victories in both matches and a better goal difference than Spain.
In his official explanation of the choices, Tuchel connected nineteen-year-old King’s selection with his ability to play across attacking positions and his impression in pre-World Cup training. Jobe’s regular football and early-season performances at Dortmund underpin his opportunity, with Myles Lewis-Skelly suspended against Croatia. Neither call-up establishes a guaranteed appearance or starting place.
The federation’s international-window programme schedules Croatia at Wembley on 12 November, followed by Spain in Madrid on 15 November. An appearance would take Harry Kane to 126 senior internationals, beyond Peter Shilton’s record of 125. That prospective milestone consequently remains conditional on playing: selection alone does not constitute the record-breaking appearance.
Archival cover photograph: Wembley Stadium in an archival photograph; not from the current event. Photographer/creator: Paul Gillett. Image source and metadata; CC BY-SA 2.0. Image date as recorded by source: 2015-08-21. Source file used without raster edits.
