Harry Maguire says England manager Thomas Tuchel informed him he would not be selected for the 2026 World Cup squad during an awkward FaceTime call. Multiple outlets report that Maguire, a Manchester United defender, described the conversation as uncomfortable and said Tuchel struggled to give a clear explanation for the decision. The omission became one of the most debated selections after the England 26-man squad was announced, with Maguire previously saying he was “shocked and gutted.”
In interviews published this week, Maguire maintains that he believes he should have been picked, pointing to his club form and his return to the national-team setup earlier in the year as reasons he thought he was in contention. Several reports also frame the call as the start of further fallout, including reference to Maguire’s social media response at the time. Maguire discusses the messaging method used by Tuchel, describing that the decision was delivered to non-selected players through direct video calls rather than through a different communication channel.
