England May Stumble Before Its First World Cup Match
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England may face a major setback before their opening match against Croatia. According to a report by the British media outlet The Telegraph, Newcastle defender Tino Livramento has suffered a thigh muscle injury during training and could be dropped from the final 26-man squad.
The English Football Association has not yet officially confirmed the matter. However, according to The Telegraph, coach Thomas Tuchel is preparing to name a replacement for Livramento, as the 23-year-old defender is unlikely to recover before the World Cup begins. Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah is the most likely candidate to take his place.
According to the 2026 World Cup regulations, a player can now only be replaced from the squad in cases of proven injury or serious illness. If proper evidence of the problem can be shown, teams will have until 24 hours before their first match to name a replacement. However, the new player called up must be on the preliminary 55-man list submitted to FIFA last month.
England will begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia tomorrow, June 18, at 2:00 AM Bangladesh time, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, USA.
