Jude Bellingham's World Cup Challenge Under Thomas Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has never been afraid of a selection fight. Now he’s made it clear that even Jude Bellingham is not immune.

The England head coach insists the Real Madrid star faces a genuine battle to nail down a starting place at the World Cup, despite describing him as one of “14 or 15 proper starters” in a fiercely competitive squad.

“He has,” Tuchel replied bluntly when asked if Bellingham has a fight on his hands to make the XI. “He is one of the starters, he knows he is one of the starters, but we have 14 or 15 potential starters. These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them.”

That tension between status and certainty sums up Bellingham’s England life under Tuchel so far. Under Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024, he was untouchable: seven starts, just 29 minutes missed across the entire tournament. Under Tuchel, the picture looks very different.

Since the German took charge in January 2025, Bellingham has started only four times, with three further appearances from the bench. Tuchel’s preferred option in the attacking midfield role has been Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who has featured in 12 of the manager’s 13 games and was the only player involved in all eight World Cup qualifiers.

Rogers has become the constant. Bellingham, once the first name on the team sheet, has become part of the debate.

Injuries have played their part. The 22-year-old missed two qualifiers last September with a shoulder problem. When October’s international camp rolled around, including a qualifier against Latvia, Tuchel left him out altogether. Bellingham returned to the squad in November, only to miss the March friendlies with a persistent hamstring issue that cut into the heart of his season.

That disrupted rhythm has collided with a relationship that has already been under the microscope.

Tuchel publicly condemned Bellingham’s on-field behaviour in last June’s defeat to Senegal, calling it “repulsive” before later apologising for the language. In November, he went on record again, saying he would “review” the midfielder’s behaviour after Bellingham reacted angrily to being substituted in a qualifier against Albania.

For a player used to being indulged at club and country, Tuchel’s hard edge has been impossible to ignore.

Yet in Tampa on Saturday, something shifted. Bellingham came off the bench at half-time in England’s 1-0 World Cup warm-up win over New Zealand and took the captain’s armband. He did not just wear it; he played like he wanted to keep it.

“You can see Jude has for sure the decisiveness and bite,” Tuchel said. “This is his key characteristic, but you can see that he comes from an injury and is full of energy and happy to be back on the pitch.

“He had his break, unfortunately, in a decisive part of the season, the Champions League season and campaign for the championship in Spain, so this was very unfortunate for Real Madrid and for him personally. But you can see now that he is actually in a sweet spot. He comes back, he’s fresh, he wants to play and he’s in top shape.”

That “sweet spot” is ominous for opponents and intriguing for England. A fully fit, fully focused Bellingham is the kind of force that can tilt a tournament. Tuchel knows it. So does the player.

Yet the message from the manager is unmistakable: reputation alone will not carry anyone into this team. Not when Rogers has built trust through 12 appearances out of 13. Not when Tuchel believes he has 14 or 15 players who can justifiably claim to be starters.

For Bellingham, the World Cup now offers a different kind of stage. Not just to lead England, but to prove he can thrive inside Tuchel’s demanding framework, not outside it.