World Cup 2026: Stones and Konsa could start

England head into the World Cup with an emerging selection question: John Stones and Ezri Konsa could be starting central defenders, even as Marc Guehi’s status has been widely assumed to be first-choice. The decision also hinges on balance and Noni Madueke’s

The debate around England’s defence won’t wait until the tournament gets fully under way.

As England head into their game against Croatia, the picture that’s forming is a stark one: John Stones and Ezri Konsa are expected to start as the team’s first-choice central defensive pairing at the World Cup, with Marc Guehi left out.

That would land as a shock for many, because the widely held view has long been that Guehi was England’s top centre-back.

Guehi’s story had the kind of momentum that usually turns “expected” into “inevitable.” Since his move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City. he was picked ahead of Stones during the final months of the season by Pep Guardiola. Yet Guardiola’s campaign was heavily disrupted by injury. Despite that disruption. Guehi’s international role kept moving forward: he became central to England’s plans during Euro 2024. and his rise at international level was expected to continue under Tuchel.

Now, an emerging feeling has taken hold inside this selection conversation. Tuchel is said to prefer more physicality in the central defensive pairing, with Stones and Konsa bigger than Guehi. The decision isn’t only about who looks best on paper. It’s also about how the pairing fits together—especially when the balance of the back line could be affected by natural footedness.

Guehi generally plays as the left-sided central defender. With both Stones and Konsa right-footed, balance may still be a concern Tuchel weighs when England prepare for the Croatia contest.

That same balancing act is playing out elsewhere in the XI.

On the right side of England’s attack, Noni Madueke started ahead of Bukayo Saka on Wednesday. A fully fit Saka would almost certainly start ahead of his Arsenal team-mate. But Tuchel has admitted Saka will need to be managed across the tournament because he still feels the effects of a lower leg muscular issue that prevented him from playing a full part in Arsenal’s season run-in.

There was genuine concern at the Emirates Stadium towards the back end of last season that Saka might miss the final weeks of the campaign. Arsenal still has concern about his fitness, especially given he is currently not under their auspices.

For Saka, there is at least some reason for cautious optimism: there is hope that his fitness is improving day-by-day here in the US.

If England were playing in the knockout stages today. there is every chance Saka could play from the start—though potentially not finish the game. That’s the calculation hanging over the group stages now: how much protection Tuchel is willing to give Saka will shape the decision on whether to keep him in reserve. introduce him carefully. or trust him with a fuller role from early on.

Madueke, for his part, is the player Tuchel trusts and clearly rates. If the manager decides to ease Saka into the tournament, Madueke is the obvious option to keep the attack moving while the fitness question is handled with patience.

Stones and Konsa could begin as the centre-back partnership, and the surprise isn’t the football—it’s the timing. Guehi’s path to England’s plans had felt clear. and now the tournament opener is where that certainty could be challenged. long before anyone gets a chance to settle the argument on the pitch.

World Cup 2026 England expected team John Stones Ezri Konsa Marc Guehi Tuchel Croatia Bukayo Saka fitness Noni Madueke Emirates Stadium