England’s super subs who could change a game from the bench at the 2026 World Cup
England have the depth to go deep at this World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s probable starting XI picks itself across most positions, but with a tournament that runs to a potential eight games for finalists across three host nations, the players outside that first eleven could prove just as decisive as those in it. England are among the frontrunners in the World Cup winner betting, and with good reason, given the options Tuchel has at his disposal beyond his first choice eleven.
These are the England players outside the probable starting XI who could come on and change a game in the knockout rounds.
Kobbie Mainoo
At the start of the season, Mainoo was written off early under Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but he has since become indispensable under Michael Carrick, scoring the winner against Liverpool that confirmed Manchester United’s Champions League place and signing a new contract through to 2031.
Tuchel recalled him to the Three Lions squad in March, having already played a major tournament from start to finish and shown he belongs at that level. His ability to carry the ball through pressure and arrive late into scoring positions makes him one of the most attractive options Tuchel has in reserve. If England need a game unlocking in the knockout rounds, Mainoo coming on fresh with 30 minutes to go is a serious card to play.
Anthony Gordon
Gordon’s tournament role is likely to be cover for Marcus Rashford on the left, but he offers something distinct enough to be a real impact substitute rather than a like-for-like replacement. He is direct, high-energy, willing to run in behind and capable of winning free kicks in dangerous areas when a game needs to be opened up in the final quarter.
At Newcastle, he has been predominantly a starter rather than a bench option, which is arguably a positive indicator. It means he is match-sharp and accustomed to high-intensity minutes rather than scrapping for cameos. If England are a goal down or need a different kind of pressure against a defensive side in the knockouts, his directness makes him one of the more dependable cards Tuchel can play.
Jarrod Bowen
Bowen has had his critics this season, and a cameo against Japan in March did little to silence them. But across the full 2025-26 Premier League campaign he has contributed eight goals and 10 assists, finishing as the leading English player for goal involvements in the division.
He has delivered consistently in high-pressure moments at club level, and his inclusion in every Tuchel squad to date reflects that. This is a player who produces rather than simply occupies a position, and if the first-choice wide forwards are not firing in a knockout game, Bowen brings a different kind of energy to England’s attack.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent’s route back into this squad has not been straightforward. Tuchel left him out entirely at one stage of the qualification campaign, and was not included in the squad for the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. But Alexander-Arnold operating in midfield, where his best form at Real Madrid has come over the past two seasons, is a completely different prospect to him as a defensive right-back.
No player in this England squad strikes a ball like him, and having that available from the bench is a luxury most international managers would take without question.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White has been Nottingham Forest’s creative engine in a season that has surpassed almost every expectation, finishing the Premier League campaign with 12 goals and 16 open-play goal contributions. Those who regularly bet on football will have seen his name attached to some of Forest’s most decisive moments this season, and that consistency is precisely what makes him a credible tournament option.
With Jude Bellingham nailed on to start and Morgan Rogers likely ahead of him in the number ten conversation, Gibbs-White goes into this tournament as a fringe player. He has spent the season proving that label wrong at Forest, and he may yet do the same at the World Cup.
