Declan Rice Withdraws from England Squad for UEFA Nations League

Declan Rice has withdrawn from England duty, one of five high‑profile absentees from Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad for the UEFA Nations League.

The Arsenal midfielder, a central pillar of England’s recent 2026 World Cup run, will sit out the upcoming fixtures after what is being described as a load-management decision, according to English newspaper “The Sun”. Rice has carried a heavy schedule for club and country and, this time, England will have to cope without him.

He is not alone. Newcastle’s Tino Livramento, Chelsea playmaker Cole Palmer, and Manchester United pair Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford have also pulled out, all due to injury issues. Five players, all influential in very different ways, gone in one sweep of the medical report.

Tuchel’s plans have had to bend. James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White have been drafted in as late call-ups and are due to link up with the remaining squad at St George’s Park on Tuesday. For both, it is an opportunity that arrives suddenly, but at full international level, chances rarely come with much warning.

The schedule waiting for them is unforgiving. England host Spain at Wembley on Saturday, a heavyweight meeting under the arch, before flying to Prague to face the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Then comes a trip to Rijeka on 3 October to take on Croatia, followed by a return to London for a second clash with the Czechs on 6 October, all within the Nations League framework.

Rice’s absence will be felt. He was a driving force in England’s 2026 World Cup campaign, which ended with a third-place finish – their best performance on the global stage since lifting the trophy in 1966. The Arsenal star started every match at that tournament except the final group game against Panama, pushing his international tally to 80 caps and underlining his status as one of the first names on the team sheet.

Now Tuchel must recalibrate his midfield without that familiar anchor. The fixtures will not wait, the opponents will not soften, and England’s depth is about to face a sharp, early-season examination.