Job Bellingham and Josh King joined the final roster of the England national football team this year, while German coach Thomas Tuchel decided to exclude Cole Palmer and Kobe Maino from the November international camp.
The English team, which won the bronze medal in the last World Cup, is on the verge of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the European Nations League, before its match against its guest Croatia, next Thursday, and facing Spain away from home three days later.
The English national team occupies second place in the third group in the first level of the continental competition, with 9 points, 3 points behind the Spanish national team, whose qualification for the knockout rounds was decided since the last round, while the Croatia national team occupies third place with three points, and the Czech national team languishes at the bottom of the standings with no points.
At the forefront of the scene is the summoning of Job Bellingham, the German midfielder for Borussia Dortmund, to be accompanied by his older brother, Jude Bellingham, in addition to the joining of teenager Josh King, the English Fulham player, who has never represented the first team, but caught attention during the World Cup preparatory camp last June, according to the British news agency (BA Media).
On the other hand, Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer and Manchester United midfielder Kobe Maino were the most notable absences, while the 25-player list included Jed Spence and Ben White, while defender Nico O'Reilly left the list.
On the other hand, Declan Rice returned to the national team after recovering from injury, while Bukayo Saka is absent due to suffering from a thigh injury, while Tuchel decided not to call up Noni Madueke as a replacement for his English teammate at Arsenal.
The list was also devoid of names that were present in the 2026 World Cup squad, such as Dean Henderson, Dan Byrne and Jordan Henderson, after they were also absent from the previous camp.
Alex Scott, Marcus Rashford and John Stones will be absent from the next camp due to injury, the same fate that befell Tino Livramento, Reece James and Trevo Chalobah.
The England national team list for the upcoming international break is as follows: Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Leeds United), and Jason Steele (Brighton).
In the defense line: Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Mark Guehi (Manchester City), Garrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Garel Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Jed Spence (Inter Milan), and Ben White (Arsenal).
In the midfield, the players will be present: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Job Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Josh King (Fulham), James Garner (Everton), Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), and Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Finally, in the attacking line: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Dominic Calvert-Welwin (Leeds United), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Ryo Ngomoha (Liverpool), and Morgan Rogers (Chelsea).
On Friday, Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente summoned three new faces to join the ranks of “La Roja” for the next two matches against England and the Czech Republic in the fifth and sixth rounds of the European Nations League football competition.
The list included, for the first time, Jacobo Ramone, Como's Italian defender, Alvaro Weiss, Real Betis' goalkeeper, and his teammate, midfielder Mark Roca.
The list was revealed through a poignant video clip, in which De La Fuente was keen to pay tribute to the victims of a tragic train accident that occurred in Spain last week, as well as to Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel, who died as a result of a violent collision with Equatorial Guinea goalkeeper Jesús Awono, after the latter rushed to the middle of the field to deflect an air ball during a Spanish second division match.
The Spanish coach said in the video: “Our sport bears a social responsibility, and must take its rightful place in history. For this reason, our thoughts today turn to the victims of the train accident that resulted in the death of 69 people.
He added: “We also recall the memory of our colleague Jesus de Miguel, who tragically passed away this week. We would like to express our solidarity with all those who showed up,” he said, before announcing the names of the summoned players.
On the other hand, Rodri, Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo were absent from the list, due to suffering from injuries that currently keep them out of the field.
The Spanish team, which leads its group in the European Nations League, will face the Czech Republic next Thursday, followed by a decisive match against England 3 days later, a match that will determine the identity of the group leader.
The lineup was as follows: Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal, England), Joan Garcia (Barcelona) and Alvaro Weiss (Real Betis).
In addition to the defenders: Pedro Porro (Tottenham, England), Marc Cucurría, Dean Hausen (Real Madrid), Alejandro Grimaldo, Mark Bubil (Atletico Madrid), Pau Cuparci (Barcelona), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao) and Jacobo Ramon (Como).
The midfield included: Martin Zobimendi, Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Fermin Lopez, Pedri (Barcelona), Alex Baena, Pablo Barrios (Atletico Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain of France) and Marc Roca (Betis).
Finally, in the attacking line: Jeremi Benno (Crystal Palace), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Paris Saint-Germain), Roberto Fernandez (Espanyol), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao) and Ander Barenechea (Real Sociedad).
Football fans are anticipating the summit of the next round of the Spanish Football League when Barcelona, the defending champion and top of the standings, will host Atletico Madrid, the second-placed team, at the “Riyadh Air Metropolitano” stadium.
This match will be full of direct confrontations. Whether coaches Hansi Flick and Diego Simeone, or the two team stars, Lamine Yamal and Julian Alvarez.
This match will also be the last before the international break, which will stop club competitions for a period of approximately 14 days.
Both teams suffer from a long list of injuries, including players in the final stages of recovery, and they may be ready for Sunday's summit.
Atletico Madrid received good news about its American midfielder, Johnny Cardoso, and his return to the list against Barcelona, after participating in group training with the approval of the club’s doctors, so that Simeone gets an additional option in the midfield, giving him flexibility in developing the match plan.
Cardoso's importance in Simeone's plans gradually increased, and the Argentine coach gradually included him in matches after the player recovered from an ankle injury that prevented him from participating in the 2026 World Cup, which was held in his country.
Cardoso excelled by participating in 90 minutes in the derby against Real Madrid, then starting in 3 consecutive matches, confirming his physical readiness and that he is an important pillar in the Argentine coach’s plans.
For his part, Flick hopes that he will be as lucky as Simeone, in restoring an important player to his tactical plans at the level of the defense line and not the midfield.
The Catalan newspaper “Sport” indicated in a report that Eric Garcia is about to join Barcelona’s squad against Atletico, and may participate for a few minutes in the match, and his return will represent an outlet for the German coach.
Barcelona's defense line has been suffering recently, as young player Pau Cobarci is currently the most fit, while his teammate Gerard Martin complained of ankle pain.
At the peripheral level, both Kounde and Xavi Espart are suffering from injury, while Alejandro Balde lacks the confidence of Flick, who is more inclined to resort to the duo of Brian Fariñas at right back, and Frenkie de Jong in the heart of defence.
On the other hand, Simeone's squad will be without Koke, the team's captain, and Argentine Cristian Romero, who joined last summer to strengthen the back line that was behind Atletico's achievements in previous seasons.
The list of absences in Barcelona is long, as it includes the trio of Espart, Kounde and Christensen in the defense line, and Rodri and Dani Olmo in the midfield, in addition to the absence of Ronnie Bardji for the entire season.
