James blow leaves Tuchel tinkering as England seek Panama progress

26 Jun 2026, 23:12 · CNA · Join

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group L - England v Croatia - Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas, U.S. - June 17, 2026 England's Reece James in action REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group L - England v Ghana - Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. - June 23, 2026 England manager Thomas Tuchel reacts during the match REUTERS/Pilar Olivares

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., June 26 : Thomas Tuchel will not have Reece James for England's final World Cup Group L match against Panama on Saturday due to injury, but the coach said Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson were all available as his side look to seal progress.

England top the group on four points, level with Ghana, with Croatia third on three and Panama bottom without a point.

Tuchel confirmed that James has not travelled with the squad and said the right back would definitely miss the game, though he hopes he can return later in the tournament.

"He has a minor hamstring injury," Tuchel said. "He was not able to train the last two days.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

"He's on an accelerated rehab programme. We will take it game by game but we strongly believe that he will be available for us again in the tournament.

"No-one could see that coming, Reece felt good and was in good shape. We would love to have Reece, he's a good player and we will look for solutions. That's what we do."

Tuchel said James could be available for the round of 32, but conceded the timeline was "tight".

There had also been concerns over Rice and Saka, while Anderson had minor issues after England's 0-0 draw with Ghana. Tuchel, however, said the rest of the squad were in contention.

"Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson trained with us today," he said. "They had minor issues after the game but everyone is available for us apart from Reece James. We will take a decision tomorrow."

On Saka, Tuchel added: "He's now fully free of discomfort and is ready to go."

Anderson has also been the subject of transfer speculation, with British media reporting a possible big-money move from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City. Tuchel said England would not allow it to become a distraction before the Panama match.

"The reality is that transfers are going on and big transfers take their time," he said. "We understand things are going on. We will facilitate the transfer but after the match, not before."

Tuchel warned that Panama, despite having already been eliminated from the tournament, would not be straightforward opponents.

He described them as "a well-trained team" and said they "can play under the underdog tag without pressure."

James blow leaves Tuchel tinkering as England seek Panama progress

Recommended Read

Sign up for our newsletters

Get the CNA app