Lineker names Hall as England's best left-back snubbed from Tuchel's World Cup squad

Gary Lineker has declared that Lewis Hall is England’s best left-back and should have been included in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup, a selection the former England striker described as one of the tournament’s harder calls to justify.

Hall, 21, earned four senior caps under both Lee Carsley and Tuchel — most recently starting in March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan — after a strong season at Newcastle United. Despite that form, Tuchel opted instead for Tottenham’s Djed Spence, Newcastle teammate Tino Livramento and Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly to cover the left-back position. Luke Shaw was also absent from the final selection.

“I think the best left-back has not been picked: Lewis Hall,” Lineker said. “It’s fair to say at this point we would all pick different squads, it’s one person’s opinion and that’s what counts. But there are certain players in there that I think have been hard done by, Lewis Hall for me.”

Lineker acknowledged Tuchel’s reasoning around Spence — specifically his pace and ability to track back — but questioned whether the head coach had fully weighed Hall’s defensive quality. “Did he see Lewis Hall against Yamal? He didn’t give him a kick,” Lineker added, referencing Hall’s performance against Barcelona’s teenage winger. “He’s been really unlucky.”

Lineker also suggested Harry Maguire was another player who might have had a case for inclusion, though his primary concern centred on the left-back position.

The comments arrive two years after Lineker sparked debate by calling England “s***” following a 1-1 draw with Denmark in the Euro 2024 group stage in Frankfurt, where Harry Kane’s opener was cancelled out by Morten Hjulmand. England went on to reach the final of that tournament before losing to Spain.

Tuchel’s side open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June, before facing Ghana later in the group stage.