Rio Ngumoha will not be available for selection at this summer’s World Cup, even if Thomas Tuchel is forced to bring in a replacement for his England squad.
The 17-year-old impressed hugely in England’s 1–0 World Cup warm-up victory over New Zealand on Saturday, coming off the bench at half-time and winning Man of the Match. In doing so, he became the fifth-youngest player ever to represent England, behind only Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney, Jude Bellingham, and 19th-century full-back James Prinsep.
Ngumoha is one of four young prospects Tuchel included in his Florida training camp alongside the 26-man squad, with Alex Scott, Josh King, and Ethan Nwaneri also drafted in mainly for squad depth, while Arsenal players joined late after the Champions League final. The Liverpool winger wraps up a breakthrough season in which he made 29 appearances for the Reds and earned a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination, though he will not feature at the tournament.
Under FIFA regulations, squads can only be adjusted up to 24 hours before a team’s opening match, and only in cases of injury or illness. Several nations have already made late changes, including Scotland losing Billy Gilmour and Germany missing out on Lennart Karl due to injury.
However, any replacement must come from the initial 55-man provisional squad. This means if an England player is ruled out before their Group L opener against Croatia on June 17, Ngumoha would be ineligible to step in.
Of the young players in the training group, only Bournemouth’s Alex Scott—who was named in the provisional 55—is eligible for a potential call-up. Tuchel previously praised Scott’s attitude, noting his strong response after narrowly missing the final cut.
Once the tournament begins, squad changes become even more restricted, with only goalkeepers allowed to be replaced.
