Carragher warns Bellingham's England role could overshadow World Cup campaign

Jamie Carragher has warned that uncertainty over Jude Bellingham’s role in Thomas Tuchel’s England side risks becoming the defining off-pitch story of the 2026 World Cup, potentially overshadowing the team’s pursuit of the trophy itself.

Bellingham was named in Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the tournament, but the Real Madrid midfielder is not expected to start England’s opening group match against Croatia on 17 June. Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is currently favoured in the number 10 role after a strong end to the domestic season that included a goal in a European final.

“I don’t think Jude Bellingham’s going to start the first game, I’d be surprised if he does,” Carragher said on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast. “That dynamic between Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham, whether he gets in the team and if he’s not in the team what happens — I think that is going to dominate airwaves all summer.”

Carragher suggested the situation could escalate as the tournament progresses, while also predicting Bellingham would eventually force his way back into the XI. “I think it could blow up at the World Cup. It is how it is managed by both of them, Tuchel and Bellingham. He will start with Rogers and I do think almost maybe by the third game, Bellingham will find himself back in because he’s too big of a figure, too much of a good player.”

Former England forward Ian Wright took a more optimistic view of Bellingham’s likely response, dismissing the prospect of any sulking. “If Jude didn’t start that game, I guarantee at some stage he will make himself known in that tournament,” Wright said. “No-one can say Rogers doesn’t deserve that start, but at the same time, it is not one of them where Jude will sulk off.”

Gary Neville broadened the debate to question Tuchel’s wider selection decisions, pointing to the omission of Phil Foden and Cole Palmer as a potential source of future regret. “We thought when we had Saka, Foden, Palmer, Bellingham, Eze — and now Bellingham is going to be left out, Palmer and Foden are out of the squad, Gibbs-White not in the squad,” Neville said. “You’re talking about three or four of the most talented players in the country.”

The debate reflects a broader tension within the England camp as Tuchel attempts to build a cohesive structure around a generation of attacking talent that, for the first time, cannot all be accommodated in the same squad.