Reece James

Reece James is one of England's most talented right-backs but has been defined by a career-long battle with injuries, particularly to his hamstring and knee. With Ben White ruled out by a knee injury at West Ham and Tino Livramento unavailable, Thomas Tuchel recalled Trent Alexander-Arnold to England's 55-man provisional list on 12 May 2026, reshaping the right-back competition heading into his 22 May final 26 announcement. James made the final squad and played through to the semi-final, but a muscular injury sustained there ruled him out of England's 18 July third-place playoff against France, with Jordan Henderson still unavailable.

Born 8 December 1999 in Redbridge, James came through Chelsea's Cobham academy and became one of the most complete right-backs in world football when fully fit. His overlapping runs, delivery from wide positions and defensive positioning have made him a fixture in England squads when available. Chelsea's reliance on him during injury-free periods illustrates his importance to club and country.

For England at the 2026 World Cup, right-back proved a genuine fitness gamble: James made the tournament and started through to the semi-final before a muscular injury forced him out of the bronze-final squad, underlining how central his availability remained to Tuchel's back-line plans throughout the run.