Why Is Cole Palmer Not Playing Today for England at the World Cup vs Croatia?

England is playing Croatia for their first match of the 2026 World Cup at Dallas Stadium. England is one of the favorites to win the tournament this summer based on their star-studded squad.

England is starting with players like Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Declan Rice, and more. Despite these players starting, there are also big names included in the starting lineup.

One of those names is Bukayo Saka, who is on the bench for the match against Croatia. A player who will definitely not play against Croatia is Cole Palmer.

Palmer is not in the starting XI or on the bench. Palmer is not a part of the England World Cup roster and was not selected by England head coach Thomas Tuchel for the 26-man England World Cup roster this summer.

Is Cole Palmer Injured?

Cole Palmer is not injured, and that was not the reason why Thomas Tuchel did not choose the Chelsea star for the England World Cup roster.

Tuchel insisted that he didn't want multiple players on the roster who can play one position, like the attacking midfielder position.

Tuchel called up Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfielder position, with Bellingham picked as the first choice option in the lineup.

Palmer did play for England in March in the friendly matches against Uruguay and Japan, but did not earn a call-up for the World Cup.

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 4:23 PM.