England’s preliminary World Cup squad to feature 55 players

Gareth Southgate is set to name 55 players in his preliminary England squad ahead of this winter’s World Cup.

The boss is in line to name an extended roster before Friday before eventually settling on a final 26-player cohort by November 13.

The Daily Mail report that Southgate’s initial squad will feature a grand total of 55 players as the race to earn a spot on the plane to Qatar heats up.

They add that Crystal Palace midfielder Ebere Eze will be among one of Southgate’s new call-ups after his impressive start to the 2022/23 campaign. The former QPR playmaker was previously watched by England representatives prior to Euro 2020 before he was ruled out with an Achilles injury.

Eagles teammate Marc Guehi, who has now been capped three times by the Three Lions, is also on the list, as is Joe Gomez following his recent resurgence with Liverpool.

England kick off their World Cup campaign on November 21 against Iran, before facing the United States and Wales over the following eight days.

Southgate’s side head to Qatar on a run of six games without a win, and have not tasted a competitive victory since thrashing minnows San Marino 10-0 in November 2021.