Bellingham faces England fight for World Cup starting place under Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel says Jude Bellingham still has work to do if he wants to secure an England starting spot at the World Cup. The Real Madrid midfielder remains one of the players Tuchel sees as a potential starter, but the England boss says there are about 14 or 15 players competing for those roles.

Morgan Rogers was preferred to Bellingham in World Cup qualifying, with the Aston Villa midfielder appearing in all eight matches. Bellingham played in only four, but Tuchel says he has been impressed by the 22-year-old’s recent form in camp and believes he looks sharp after his break and return from injury.

Tuchel said Bellingham “knows he is one of the starters” in the wider sense, but also made clear that nothing is fixed. He explained that the pecking order can still change before England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia on June 17. For now, he sees the squad in three groups: likely starters, a special leadership group, and players who are expected to come on and change games.

The England manager also refused to say whether Bellingham is part of that leadership group. He did confirm, however, that Declan Rice will be vice-captain this summer and will wear the armband when Harry Kane is not on the pitch. Tuchel said he had already told the squad about that decision.

Rice, who has captained England before, is one of several senior players Tuchel is leaning on to help set the tone. The head coach said the players are competing hard for places but wants that to happen within a sense of unity, not rivalry. He called for “brotherhood” in the camp and said players understand the bigger picture.

England are continuing their preparations with a behind-closed-doors friendly against Miami United later this week and a public warm-up against Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday. Tuchel said he will use those games to build minutes carefully, with some players needing 60 to 70 minutes to be ready for Croatia.

The Arsenal contingent — Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke — has now joined the squad, giving Tuchel more options to assess. He said the final pecking order may still shift, but the message is clear: Bellingham remains important, yet he will have to earn his place like everyone else.