2026 World Cup: Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel confirms Jude Bellingham stance ahead of tournament opener vs. Croatia

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has said that Jude Bellingham has a battle on his hands to be a starter for the Three Lions at the 2026 World Cup.

The 22-year-old struggled to find his best form for Real Madrid during the 2025-26 campaign, only managing eight goals and five assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.

Bellingham is seemingly in a straight fight with Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers for the number 10 spot in the England XI, and the latter is a favourite of Tuchel.

Rogers was the only player to feature in all eight of England's qualification matches for the World Cup, and Tuchel has said that Bellingham has a fight on his hands to secure a starting role at this summer's competition, which gets underway on June 11.

Tuchel: 'Bellingham facing battle to start at World Cup'

"Yes, he has. He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters," the England manager told reporters.

"These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are like 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them.

"He [Jude] looks good. He looks good in training. I think he is at the moment in a sweet spot because he has had his break and he has the hunger to be back on the pitch and after injury - this is normal. And he is so happy to be back on the pitch. You take everything in.

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"We have 14 or 15 potential starters and then there is a special group…..and then there are guys who finish matches for us and get the energy right."

Rogers started as the number 10 against New Zealand on Saturday night before being replaced by Bellingham at the break, and the latter was one of his country's best performers in what proved to be a 1-0 victory for the Three Lions.

England will begin World Cup against Croatia on June 17

England will play their final pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica on June 10, before opening their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17.

Bellingham is undoubtedly one of England's most talented players, and he has represented the national team on 47 occasions, scoring six goals and registering 10 assists.

Rogers, on the other hand, has a lot less experience at international level, playing 14 times for the Three Lions, scoring once and registering one assist.

The 23-year-old will be entering this summer's competition off the back of an excellent season for Villa, though, scoring 14 goals and registering 12 assists in 55 appearances in all competitions for Unai Emery's side.