Why is Cole Palmer not playing for England at the 2026 World Cup?

Cole Palmer was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup squad after an underwhelming season for Chelsea.

The German manager has faced various opinions on the decision after the omission of the Blues midfielder.

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The Manchester-born player struggled for fitness earlier in the season after injuring his groin during a pre-match warm-up against West Ham United.

It ultimately culminated in an underwhelming season given the 24-year-old’s lofty standards as he finished with just ten goals.

How did Palmer perform in the 2025/26 season?

The former Manchester City prodigy experienced more lows than highs this season, yet still managed to score his fourth league hat-trick against Wolves.

Despite being victorious at the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025, the drain of a longer season than usual took its toll on Palmer and the Blues as they finished outside of the European positions.

Chelsea also endured plenty of managerial turbulence too, with three separate managers sitting in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

Enzo Maresca began the campaign in charge but left in January, paving the way for Liam Rosenior’s appointment.

However, Rosenior was axed only a few months into his six-and-a-half year deal as Calum McFarlane stepped in on an interim basis until the end of the season.

The squad experienced three separate managers throughout their campaign, with Enzo Maresca leaving in January by mutual consent.

As for Palmer, he started just 24 games last term.

Despite his reduced game time compared to previous seasons, some supporters were left frustrated by Tuchel’s decision to omit Palmer from his World Cup squad.

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Why did Tuchel leave Palmer out of his World Cup squad?

Tuchel explained that the Chelsea man was not influential when playing for England, unlike his other options like Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze.

He said: “His record with us was just not outstanding, not good enough to make him a definite.

“That is just the reality of it. It is a very difficult decision. 

“There is no question about his talent, there is no question what he can give you in special moments, but the decision was still against him.”

How has Palmer previously performed for England?

Palmer has represented his country since the U17s and was successful during the 2023 Euro U21 Championship for England, as he provided the winning assist in the final against Spain.

He was eventually called up for his debut to the senior team by Gareth Southgate for a qualifier against Malta at Wembley.

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Palmer travelled to Germany for the 2024 Euros, his first senior tournament with the Three Lions.

He became a key substitution for England throughout the competition, coming on for Kieran Trippier to score England’s winning goal to get past the round of 16 tie against Slovakia.

He replaced Ezri Konsa in the following game and put away the first kick in the penalty shootout, as the team faced Switzerland in the quarter-final.

Once again, the Chelsea midfielder was substituted on and played the assist for Ollie Watkins’ winning goal in the semi-final.

Additionally, following a similar trend in the final, after coming off the bench against Spain, he managed to score England’s equaliser from outside the box just three minutes later.

Surprisingly, Palmer appeared alongside British rapper Central Cee in Nike‘s World Cup advert despite not featuring on the pitch during the tournament.