Off to the USA, or not?
We’re only a few weeks away from this year’s FIFA World Cup, and with Thomas Tuchel yet to confirm who he will be taking to North America, speculation is rife. Naturally, we’re expecting to see a few Villans in the squad, but actually figuring out who will be boarding the plane isn’t as easy.
Outside of Villa, it’s probably a safe bet that we’ll be seeing the likes of Harry Kane, Marc Guéhi, Jordan Pickford… the list goes on. However, Tuchel isn’t exactly the most predictable of managers, and we’ve more than shown this year that our men deserve to represent the country.
Let’s do a quick rundown of who we, and a few of the bigger pundits out there, believe will be either on the plane or in the dugout come the start of the summer, and who plenty of us will be watching for via the LiveScore World Cup 2026 hub as the action starts heating up.
Ezri Konsa
Ezri Konsa is a name that has been discussed a lot when it comes to speculation over Tuchel’s centre-back options. Given that Konsa can flexibly cover much of the back line, he’s probably going to be seen as an asset over other picks, such as Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, whose name has come up a few times, but who hasn’t been on Tuchel’s radar since an injury last year.
We’re confident that Konsa is going to be in the A-team this summer, especially since he’s been a core part of our starting 11 in this campaign.
Ollie Watkins
Tuchel has been a little bit non-committal as far as Ollie Watkins is concerned, despite the fact that up until recently, he’d been a regular face in England’s strike force. However, Watkins’ stats for Villa this season show that he’s definitely worth starting alongside Harry Kane in what could be both strikers’ last World Cup.
Like Ezri Konsa, Watkins has been a crucial fixture of our starting 11 this season, notching up nine goals and an assist along the way. If Tuchel decides to leave Watkins at home, he’s missing out on a versatile forward who can easily cover the centre and both wings – he’s great value for money (and don’t we know it).
Morgan Rogers
Looking over to attacking midfield now, Morgan Rogers has been playing for the national side in one way or another since late 2024, and we’ve already seen what he can do both at Villa Park and in the World Cup qualifiers. He’s scored eight goals with us this past season and has converted all four of his free kicks – this is lightning-in-a-bottle stuff that Tuchel should know better than to ignore.
The good news for Rogers is that Tuchel seems to be aware of this. The attacking midfielder is, like Ollie Watkins, one of Villa’s most versatile assets. The England coach has all but cemented Rogers into the A-team heading towards the summer, so all we need to do now is wait to see if there are any last-minute surprises.
Beyond England
Naturally, Villa’s world-class line-up has a few other stars who we’re all but confirmed to see starting at the World Cup this summer, just not for England. For example, it’s a pretty safe bet that Emiliano Martínez will be tending goal for Argentina, coming off the back of 76 saves and 29 goal concessions this season (at the time of writing).
John McGinn, meanwhile, is very likely to play a big role in Scotland’s campaign, having helped Villa out with four goals and three assists this season. As a versatile midfielder, he’s almost certainly going to be getting on a plane in the next few weeks. And then there’s Donyell Malen, who we recently loaned to Roma. The forward is probably looking to open for the Netherlands as the World Cup approaches.
It has been a season of mixed feelings and fortunes, so it will be good to see our men getting some international praise, and hopefully doing us proud. As always, nothing’s set in stone, but with the World Cup fast approaching, time is ticking for Tuchel to let us know which Villans will be getting on the plane, who will be on the bench, and who will have the pleasure of playing on the world stage this summer.
