The Biggest Squad Surprises Ahead of World Cup 2026

World Cup squad announcements are where the first real drama of the tournament begins. And 2026 has already delivered plenty. England will travel to the US (and potentially Mexico City) without a single Liverpool player, while 36-year-old Jordan Henderson survived another rebuild. Iranian players reportedly had to relocate camps just to deal with visa complications ahead of entering the United States. At the same time, this tournament could realistically mark the final World Cup for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. All of this is before getting to the surprise call-ups and the names managers decided to leave behind.

The three shock 2026 World Cup squad snubs

Harry Maguire (England)

I probably could’ve written this entire article just about the chaos surrounding England’s World Cup squad announcement. Neither Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, nor Trent Alexander-Arnold will be pulling on the Three Lions shirt this summer. But Harry Maguire, say what you want about his club performances — and everyone’s got an opinion there — being left out probably marked the symbolic end of an era. He was a central figure throughout the Gareth Southgate tenure during some of England’s best tournament runs in decades.

Thomas Tuchel, however, appeared fully committed to reshaping England’s back line around quicker, more aggressive center-backs capable of playing higher up the pitch. In the end, Maguire’s lack of recovery pace looked to be the biggest factor working against him. Still, plenty of former players, including Steve Bruce, argued that his leadership and experience in high-pressure knockout soccer will not be easy to replace.

In the immediate aftermath of the squad announcement, soccer correspondent Rob Dorsett questioned the decision while speaking on Sky Sports’ Big Weekend. “Why wouldn’t you take Harry Maguire? Sixty-six England caps. He’s been to three major tournaments,” Dorsett said.

Which naturally raised another question. Even if Thomas Tuchel no longer saw Maguire as a starter, why not still bring him along for the leadership and dressing-room presence alone?

According to a report from The Times, that was never really on the table. They claimed Maguire himself would not have accepted a reduced role, pointing specifically toward the defender’s mentality and belief in himself rather than traveling as a squad player there mainly for depth. The piece also referenced the following social media post from the 33-year-old center-back that appeared to reinforce exactly that point:

“I was confident I could of played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I’ve loved nothing more than putting that shirt on and representing my country over the years. I wish the players, all the best this summer 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿”

Diego Luna (USA)

You’d think Nike’s poster boy splashed across campaigns, including the massive display outside Madison Square Garden, would’ve been a straightforward inclusion in Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad. Instead, official news emerging from the US camp on May 26 backed up the earlier roster leaks, with the 21-year-old Real Salt Lake attacker left out of the final cut.

Luna had quickly grown into a fan favorite thanks to the chaos and intensity he brought every time he stepped onto the pitch. His stock only rose further after playing (and assisting) through a broken nose against Costa Rica in January 2025. This was the exact edge and mentality Pochettino had been demanding from the squad.

The numbers made the omission even harder to process. Luna earned 18 caps for the United States, 17 of them arriving under the Argentine manager. While a knee injury kept him out of the March international window, the forward had since worked his way back into rhythm, logging seven appearances of 70+ minutes for RSL before the final roster decision landed.

João Pedro (Brazil)

Brazilian fans traveling to the United States for the 2026 World Cup will be left wondering what Chelsea’s 2025/2026 Player of the Season could’ve added to this Seleção front line after his exclusion from the squad. To be fair, he never truly convinced under Carlo Ancelotti, managing neither a goal nor an assist across eight appearances.

João Pedro arrived at Chelsea from Brighton last summer with major expectations attached to his £60 million move, and largely lived up to them. The 23-year-old produced the strongest campaign of his career so far, scoring 20 goals across all competitions, becoming the first Chelsea player since Diego Costa in 2017 to reach that mark in a single season. He also finished the Premier League campaign with 20 direct goal involvements, registering 15 goals and five assists.

João Pedro eventually broke his silence on the decision, responding with a statement shared by Fabrizio Romano. 

“I tried to give my best at all times. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to fulfill this dream of representing my country in a World Cup, but I remain calm and focused, as I always try to be. Joys and frustrations are part of football. From now on, I wish good luck to everyone who is there and I will be just another fan cheering for them to bring the sixth title home”.

Three surprise World Cup 2026 call-ups nobody saw coming

Neymar (Brazil)

If there was one name that generated the loudest reaction when Carlo Ancelotti announced Brazil’s final 26-man squad, it was Neymar. Now back at Santos FC, the former FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Al Hilal star returns to the World Cup picture as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 appearances. This is despite having not featured for the Seleção since 2023 following a lengthy battle with injuries and fitness setbacks.

Brazil round off their World Cup preparations with warm-up clashes against Panama and Egypt on May 31 and June 7, two fixtures that top sports betting sites expect them to handle comfortably. The bigger storyline is Neymar's status, who is expected to miss both games after picking up a calf issue with Santos FC during the club’s 3-0 loss to Coritiba.

The 34-year-old does not seem overly concerned. Asked whether the latest injury setback could become an issue ahead of the World Cup, Neymar brushed it aside with a short reply: “What problem?” The medical updates since then have sounded more serious, though. Brazil national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar confirmed further testing revealed a grade two edema, with Neymar not expected to return for at least two to three weeks. 

According to ESPN Brasil, Carlo Ancelotti is prepared to give Neymar until June 12 to prove his fitness. If he is not cleared by then, Brazil could use FIFA’s 24-hour pre-match replacement rule to remove him from the squad and call up another player before their opening game. 

Ivan Toney (England)

There was a time when high-profile figures across soccer, including stars like Toni Kroos during the Gabri Veiga transfer saga in 2023, openly viewed moving to Saudi Arabia as effectively trading sporting ambition for money. Ivan Toney earning a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad might be one of the strongest signs yet that perception is beginning to crack. 

For those who do not follow the Saudi Pro League, the last major headline involving Ivan Toney was the eight-month suspension he received for breaching the FA’s betting rules. Long prior to that, though, at Brentford, he had become the face of the club’s rise into the Premier League, scoring 33 Championship goals and then making the transition to the top flight look effortless. Toney backed that up with a 20-goal Premier League campaign in 2022-23. He even marked his return from suspension with a strike against Nottingham Forest in January 2024, then completed a reported £40 million move to Al-Ahli Saudi FC later that year. 

Thinking about it, though, Ivan Toney making England’s World Cup squad does make sense. The Al-Ahli striker just finished a huge season in Saudi Arabia, even outscoring Cristiano

Ronaldo, but more importantly, he had already shown his value for England at Euro 2024. Toney changed games off the bench, assisting Harry Kane against Slovakia and calmly converting in the shootout win over Switzerland. Thomas Tuchel also highlighted his physical presence and elite penalty-taking, an area where Toney is almost automatic, converting 58 of 62 penalties across his professional career.

Giovanni Reyna (USA)

Four years after nearly being sent home from Qatar following his fallout with former coach Gregg Berhalter, Reyna is back at the center of the USMNT conversation again. The attacking midfielder has barely played consistent club soccer in 2026, making only eight Bundesliga appearances off the bench for Borussia Mönchengladbach since the turn of the year. Even so, Pochettino still views the 23-year-old as one of the most technically gifted attacking players available to him.

Reyna also impressed the Argentine manager during last November’s international window and featured as a substitute in the March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal despite concerns surrounding his form and minutes.

The subplot that makes Reyna’s inclusion even more remarkable is that he will now share a dressing room with Sebastian Berhalter, the son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter. Four years ago, the fallout between the Reyna and Berhalter families exploded into a public feud involving both sets of parents. At this point, prediction markets might genuinely consider listing contracts on whether the World Cup 2026 delivers another episode in the saga.