Jordan Pickford facing fight for England place under Thomas Tuchel

With new manager vowing to make ‘unpopular decisions’, Everton goalkeeper’s selection for 2026 World Cup is far from assured

Jordan Pickford faces a fight to hold on to his place as England’s undisputed No 1 for the 2026 World Cup under new permanent manager Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel officially starts work on January 1 and Pickford will be under immediate pressure to prove to the German that he should remain England’s first-choice goalkeeper for a fifth-successive major tournament.
Pickford, 30, has been England’s first-choice stopper dating all the way back to the 2018 World Cup, which was former manager Gareth Southgate’s first tournament in charge.
Southgate stuck loyally by Pickford through thick and thin, and was rewarded with some superb major-tournament performances.
Pickford has won 71 caps, which puts him two behind Gordon Banks and four short of David Seaman and Joe Hart, who are the joint second-most capped England goalkeepers behind Peter Shilton (on 125).
But interim head coach Lee Carsley replaced Pickford with Dean Henderson for the Nations League win over Finland following a below-par performance from the Everton man in the defeat by Greece.
And Pickford cannot be certain of his long-term place under Tuchel, who will assess the England squad with fresh eyes and not allow past performances to dictate his selections.
Tuchel has been appointed on an 18-month contract with the brief to win the 2026 World Cup and has made it clear he is prepared to make tough decisions.
“This comes with the job, unpopular decisions and, of course, with a job as a national coach, decisions that some supporters maybe don’t like or don’t understand,” said the former Chelsea manager.
“But we will from January look for the best group of players. We will maybe not necessarily look for the 24 best individuals, but we will look for the best group.
“I have huge trust and belief in these players because I know what it takes to play in the Premier League, I know what it takes to play for these top clubs in this competition. They have the character, they have the hunger and they have the commitment to achieve something very special. 
“But it also comes with difficult decisions and it comes with the job. We will not be shy of taking them.”
Pickford, Henderson and Nick Pope have been the goalkeepers Carsley has picked in his two squads so far, while Aaron Ramsdale will be hoping to earn an England recall.
Chelsea are yet to receive an approach from either Tuchel or the Football Association for goalkeeping coach Henrique Hilario.
There are claims that Tuchel wants Hilario to work part-time in his England staff, along with a Chelsea analyst, but the London club had still not been approached on Thursday afternoon.
Tuchel confirmed that he will make some more appointments to form a small backroom team after hiring Anthony Barry as his assistant.