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Twelve Manchester United players named in World Cup 2026 squads as Maguire and Shaw miss out

Manchester United will have 12 players at the World Cup 2026 in North America this summer, with goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards spanning nine nations. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are among the notable absentees after being left out of England's squad by Thomas Tuchel.

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Twelve Manchester United players named in World Cup 2026 squads as Maguire and Shaw miss out
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Twelve Manchester United players have been confirmed in official World Cup 2026 squads after all 48 participating nations submitted their final 26-man rosters ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on Thursday, June 11 across Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The United contingent spans nine nations and every position on the pitch. Goalkeepers Senne Lammens (Belgium) and Altay Bayindir (Turkey) are included, along with defenders Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco), Lisandro Martínez (Argentina) and Diogo Dalot (Portugal). The midfield group features Manuel Ugarte (Uruguay), Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Kobbie Mainoo (England) and Tyler Fletcher (Scotland), while Matheus Cunha (Brazil), Amad (Ivory Coast) and Marcus Rashford (England) lead the attacking contingent.

Fletcher is a notable late addition, stepping in for the injured Billy Gilmour in Scotland’s squad — a surprise call-up that gives United an unexpected presence among the home nations. United fans will also see two of their players face off directly when Brazil meet Morocco on June 13, with Cunha and Mazraoui on opposing sides.

The most high-profile omissions came from England’s squad, where manager Thomas Tuchel left out Harry Maguire despite the centre-back playing a significant role in the club’s revival under interim — now permanent — head coach Michael Carrick. Luke Shaw was similarly overlooked, despite starting every Premier League match this season, a feat achieved by only four other outfield United players in the club’s history.

Elsewhere among those missing out, Leny Yoro was not selected by France, Joshua Zirkzee was omitted by the Netherlands, and Matthijs de Ligt is sidelined through injury. André Onana, Patrick Dorgu, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko will not feature after Cameroon, Denmark and Slovenia failed to qualify for the tournament.

Those absent from the World Cup will have an extended summer break before returning for pre-season under Carrick next month.

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