England cause controversy with late 2026 World Cup squad addition

Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea reacts with open, shrugged arms during the Premier League match between Burnley and Chelsea at Turf Moor. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images).

It's been a difficult first week for England at the 2026 World Cup, and Thomas Tuchel's men haven't yet kicked a football.

England will face Croatia in their opening Group L fixture on Jun 17, held at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Unfortunately for the Three Lions, their plans were first derailed by a bizarre World Cup robbery, and now a late Tino Livramento injury, resulting in a controversial replacement decision.

Trevoh Chalobah replaces Tino Livramento in late England squad swap-out, 2026 World Cup

Newcastle fans will have been expecting to see one of their young talents swapped out for another in Lewis Hall. (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Newcastle prodigy was forced to back out of the tournament by a calf injury, leaving space in the England squad for a replacement.

Livramento's inclusion was a surprise to begin with, having missed the Magpies' final five fixtures of the season with a thigh issue.

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Trevoh Chalobah has stepped in for the 23-year-old, but will still miss the opening match of the tournament against Croatia.

Instead, the Chelsea centre-back will head to Kansas City - the base in which England were heading to at the time of their World Cup robbery - in preparation for the Three Lions' next game.

Chalobah's newfound place in the England 2026 World Cup squad has, naturally, ignited significant fan debate.

Among the names not selected by Tuchel, neither in his initial 26-man squad or in this last minute inclusion, are Lewis Hall, Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

All three were surprising misses then, making their absences even more surprising now, particularly in the cases of Hall and Alexander-Arnold who would have filled the now vacant position more effectively.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has endured a pitiful international career, given his remarkable talent. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tuchel is now left with just Reese James and Djed Spence as natural right-back options in the squad, with Livramento being replaced by a centre-back instead.

Chalobah has just one senior international cap, which arrived against Senegal in a 2025 friendly that England lost 3-1.

The 26-year-old is currently en-route to the United States, where he will join forces with fellow Chelsea player James, but only time will tell whether online football fans know more about their national team than Thomas Tuchel does.