Palmer shrugs off England World Cup snub: 'I'm not crying over a decision you can't change'

Cole Palmer has broken his silence on being left out of England’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, telling iD magazine he has accepted Thomas Tuchel’s decision and is wishing his international teammates well. The Chelsea playmaker was one of the most debated omissions from Tuchel’s 26-man group, alongside Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, and Morgan Gibbs-White.

“This season hasn’t been the best, but it is what it is,” Palmer said. “I’m not crying over a decision you can’t change, and I hope the lads make it all the way.”

The 24-year-old had been a standout figure at Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate, scoring a stunning equaliser in the final to underline his capacity to influence the biggest occasions. That form made his absence from Tuchel’s plans all the more striking, though the Germany coach was direct in explaining his reasoning.

“I think he suffers from a lack of individual form within the club,” Tuchel said when announcing his squad. “He was not as decisive or as influential as he was in the last seasons, throughout the whole season. He had to pull out injured several times, when he was in camp he did not have the impact that we all wanted to push him for.”

Palmer’s campaign at Stamford Bridge was his leanest since joining from Manchester City, with fitness problems and Chelsea’s managerial instability — which has now ended with Xabi Alonso’s appointment — limiting both his appearances and output.

Rather than dwell on the setback, Palmer says he intends to use the summer to reset. “I’m going to relax this summer, rest for the first time in 3 or 4 years, before getting back to what I love,” he said. Asked whether he would follow England’s matches, he kept it characteristically low-key: “If I’m not doing anything, then I’ll watch the matches, yeah.”

It marks the first summer since 2022 in which Palmer has not been involved in a tournament at club or international level. With Alonso now at the helm at Chelsea and a full pre-season ahead, Palmer will be looking to rediscover the form that made him one of the Premier League’s most feared attackers.