Jobe Bellingham earns first England call-up as Palmer is omitted

Jobe Bellingham has received his first senior England call-up after a strong start to the season with Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old midfielder joins his older brother, Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham, in Thomas Tuchel’s 25-man squad announced on November 6, 2026.

Tuchel said Jobe had impressed for a long time, captained England’s under-21 side and become a regular, influential player at Dortmund. Fulham midfielder Josh King, 19, is the squad’s other newcomer. Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha, 18, has been selected again after joining preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

England face Croatia on November 12 before travelling to Madrid to play Spain three days later in the Nations League. Djed Spence and Declan Rice return after missing the previous camp through injury. Bukayo Saka and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford are unavailable with injuries.

Palmer’s omission appears to be a selection decision rather than an injury absence. Tuchel said the Chelsea player had missed five of his eight previous camps because of various injuries, and said other players had taken their opportunities during the season’s opening weeks. Competition for attacking midfield places includes Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White.

England lost 3-2 at home to Spain before recording three consecutive wins without conceding, including two victories over the Czech Republic and one over Croatia. A point from the next two matches would be enough for Harry Kane and his teammates to reach the Nations League quarter-finals.