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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been largely absent from England duty since 2024, with his only appearance under Thomas Tuchel—who took over as national team manager in early 2025—being a 26-minute substitute appearance in a nervy victory against Andorra that June.
The Real Madrid right back has gone uncalled by his country throughout this entire season—not always due to fitness concerns—so his exclusion from the 2026 World Cup squad came as little shock in an announcement that was otherwise packed with surprises.
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Alexander-Arnold was passed over right at the start of the campaign—England's first international window following his summer move from Liverpool to Spain. Tuchel opted for Chelsea skipper Reece James and Newcastle United's Tino Livramento to fill the right-back positions. In the end, it was that same pair who secured the right-back spots in the final 26-man World Cup squad.
When pressed on Alexander-Arnold's absence at the time, the head coach acknowledged being a "big fan of Trent" while also noting that "competition is up" with the World Cup—then nine months away—in mind.
Alexander-Arnold was sidelined during the October international break and had barely returned to fitness when Tuchel was assembling his November squad. But when his name failed to appear on the March list as well, it felt all but certain that 2026 would not be his third World Cup.
Addressing Alexander-Arnold among a group of notable absentees, Tuchel described the decisions as "very difficult." "It's a given we have to leave some extraordinary players, personalities at home. For some of them it's just the amount of players in a certain position."
He further stressed the importance of every player selected having a "clear role" within the squad.
Alexander-Arnold Pays Price for Poor Season
Even when fit, this has been a difficult year for Alexander-Arnold. Adapting to not only a new club—having spent his entire career at Liverpool—but also a new country, with unfamiliar customs and a foreign language, has clearly weighed on him. The fact that Real Madrid's season has been nothing short of turbulent has only compounded what was already a considerable challenge.
Alexander-Arnold has long faced scrutiny over his defensive work, which suggested a move from the Premier League to La Liga—a less physical, more technical competition—should have been an ideal fit. Yet where the 27-year-old was a prolific creator in Liverpool's colors—routinely hitting double figures in assists and peaking at 19 during the 2021–22 season—he has managed just five with one game still remaining this campaign.
With Tuchel consistently prioritizing in-form players and those who fit his tactical blueprint, Alexander-Arnold's dip in his most valuable attribute was always going to count against him.
England Problems Nothing New for Alexander-Arnold
The far greater surprise than his World Cup 2026 exclusion is why one of the finest fullbacks on the planet has never truly flourished at international level.
Since Alexander-Arnold made his England debut in a pre-tournament friendly ahead of the 2018 World Cup, he has earned just 34 caps. Declan Rice entered the setup a year later and already has 72—the Arsenal midfielder is now well-placed to become the next player to reach 100 England appearances and eventually take on the captaincy.
Historically, fierce competition from Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier has always been a factor. Yet while Alexander-Arnold surpasses both with the ball at his feet, the other two were more complete fullbacks overall.
Equally problematic is England's persistent failure to find a system that truly brings out the best in him, with the same setup in which Walker and Trippier flourished tending to expose Alexander-Arnold's weaknesses instead.
Gareth Southgate famously tried deploying Alexander-Arnold in central midfield during the opening games of Euro 2024, but the experiment backfired, with England performing better after he was left out of the lineup.