After Celtic were awarded a controversial late penalty against Motherwell in the penultimate round of league fixtures, referee John Beaton was placed under police surveillance after his personal details were leaked online.

Last week, Police Scotland confirmed a man, 19, has been charged “in connection with a data protection offence” and will appear in court at a later date.

Now, the Scottish Senior Football Referees’ Association has released a statement saying “irresponsible commentary from some managers, clubs and sections of the media has only served to fuel an already toxic environment”.

It also condemns “unacceptable” pitch invasions – which “must never be accepted as the norm” – and says if these incidents continue it “will reserve all options open to us”.

“We accept scrutiny is a part of football, but what we have witnessed in the last month has been entirely disproportionate and crossed the line from legitimate debate into behaviour risking the safety of officials and their family,” the statement said.

“No referee should be subjected to this abuse, intimidation, threats or the leaking of private information simply for carrying out their duties. Such conduct has no place in Scottish football or society more generally.

“We also note with particular concern the unacceptable behaviour of supporters entering the field of play. This dangerous and abhorrent behaviour must never be accepted as the norm.

“We call on the relevant authorities to significantly strengthen their regulatory framework so that meaningful sanctions can be imposed, both as a punishment and as a strong deterrent, before such time as a match official or player suffers serious harm.

“Referees perform a difficult role in an intensely demanding environment and deserve the same respect, and protection afforded to everyone else in the game.

“Scottish football cannot thrive in an atmosphere where referees are subjected to personal attacks for making decisions in the course of their duties.

“Should this behaviour continue, we will reserve all options open to us. We urge all stakeholders to work together to ensure Scottish football remains safe for everyone involved.”

England captain Zoe Stratford and fellow Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Tatyana Heard will leave three-time reigning Premiership Women’s Rugby champions Gloucester Hartpury at the end of the season “to pursue new challenges”.

Back row Sarah Beckett, who won the last of her 35 England caps against Italy in 2024, will also leave the club.

Stratford, who is currently pregnant with her first child and not playing, joined Gloucester-Hartpury in 2017 and played a key role in their rise to become the dominant force in the women’s domestic game.

“Gloucester Hartpury will always hold a special place in my heart,” she said.

“It has given me so much over the years. I have learnt, grown, and been shaped by the experiences I’ve had along the way.

“Thank you to the amazing fans who have supported us through the tough times eight years ago, when we were a mid-table team, all the way through to becoming three-time champions. It’s been a crazy journey.

“To the amazing girls I’ve had the pleasure of playing alongside, thank you for making this chapter of my life so unbelievably memorable. I will cherish your friendship, and the memories we made both on and off the pitch, for the rest of my life.”

Stratford, 29, co-owns a coffee shop with club and country team-mate Natasha Hunt close to Kingsholm, but her husband Luke was appointed as scrum coach for Sale Sharks’ women’s side in February 2025.

Tatyana Heard is sidelined with a foot injury which kept her out of the Red Roses’ recent Women’s Six Nations triumph, but the 31-year-old aims to bid farewell with another title.

In coach Dan Murphy’s first season in charge, Gloucester Hartpury have a perfect record of 14 wins from 14 regular-season games and are essentially sure of a home semi-final already.

“When I joined in 2017, I never would have foreseen the opportunities that would come my way and I’m so thankful for everyone within this club who has made the past nine years so memorable,” said Heard.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to create more memories with this group over the next few weeks and hope we can end this season on a high.”

It’s fair to say that Thomas Tuchel has ruffled a few feathers with his England squad for this summer’s World Cup.

There was no room for Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White or Cole Palmer. Or the Manchester United defensive pairing of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw.

Instead, the England manager has turned to the likes of Ivan Toney, Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento as the Euro 2024 runners-up look to go one better in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A breakdown of the squad per league minutes played shows that much of England’s starting spine will arrive into the tournament with plenty of miles on the clock — with Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers and Harry Kane having played 75 per cent or more of the 2025-26 season.

There is an interesting mix of experience in the squad. Six players have more than 50 caps for England but there are also 10 players who have 10 caps or fewer. The blend is two groups at either end of the scale, with no player in the squad boasting between 30 and 40 caps.

Arsenal and Manchester City bring the most players to the squad (four each) — Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Madueke from the Premier League champions, and an interesting mix of City players — from likely starters (Guehi and Nico O’Reilly) to expected squad players (John Stones and James Trafford). Interestingly, Stones and Trafford have just 631 league minutes between them this season.

Three Aston Villa players and three Newcastle players prop up the squad, with 12 other clubs represented by a single player.

Our data and tactics writers analyse the 26 players that Tuchel did pick for the tournament — and what each of them will offer England at the World Cup…

---

The goalkeepers (3)

Jordan Pickford (Everton)

Whatever your opinion on Jordan Pickford might be in an Everton shirt, no one can argue that England’s No 1 has always delivered for his country.

Pickford’s distribution has long been discussed as his main strength in the England goalkeeper debate but his shot-stopping has been excellent this season — making crucial saves and preventing four goals above expectation, based on the quality of shots faced.

Arriving at a major international tournament in good form is important for any player, but there is a heightened responsibility on your starting goalkeeper to instil calmness and trust across the team. Pickford will offer you that.

Mark Carey

Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest)

Only Pickford (13.8) and Emiliano Martinez (11.3) have prevented more non-penalty goals in the Premier League since 2023-24 than Dean Henderson’s 7.8. In three seasons at Selhurst Park, he has developed into a reliable presence in goal and his personality, similar to Pickford, attracts fans and critics.

Henderson’s remit in possession within Palace’s direct system has been straightforward, with 61 per cent of his league passes in 2025-26 going long. If needed by Tuchel, though, his distribution will be tested. 

Anantaajith Raghuraman

James Trafford (Manchester City)

Barring a significant injury to Jordan Pickford, James Trafford will understand his role as a back-up goalkeeper in this squad — as he has done for his club this season. 

The 23-year-old did manage to start in two cup finals for Manchester City, but things have not quite gone to plan in 2025-26, with just three league starts to speak of since making the move from Burnley last summer.

Trafford does have experience of success internationally, with an integral role played in England’s under-21 victory in the 2023 European Championships — saving a last-minute penalty against Spain in the final.

Mark Carey

---

The defenders (9)

Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)

England are not overspilling with options at centre-back but Ezri Konsa is a reliable squad option. He is one of only 10 players to clock more than 3,000 Premier League minutes this season, while his passing accuracy of 95.5 per cent is the highest of anyone in the division.

As a defender, he is passive, preferring to hang back and sweep while a more front-footed partner challenges and scraps up ahead. When he is called upon, however, he rarely fouls and wins a high proportion of his duels.

No thrills, but fewer spills; he will be a dependable presence around England’s most uncertain area of the pitch.

Thom Harris

Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)

Nico O’Reilly has evolved into one of Manchester City’s players of the season. 

A versatile operator who has played attacking and central midfield and at left-back, he can navigate tight spaces with both his ball-carrying and neat short passing. O’Reilly offers plenty of off-the-ball running too, especially on the underlap, and has picked up some great positions in the final third to score nine goals and assist six more across competitions, as seen below.

As with his in-possession play, both his physique and technique stand out without the ball too. O’Reilly’s 5.9 ‘true’ interceptions (which includes interceptions and blocked passes) per 1000 opposition touches ranks fifth among full-backs with 900 or more Premier League minutes. 

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Marc Guehi (Manchester City)

Having adapted pretty seamlessly since his January move to Manchester City, Marc Guehi is arguably England’s first-choice centre-back.

He moves the ball nicely through the lines with zipped passes on both feet, carries the ball confidently out from the back, and is comfortable defending in wide areas when he’s dragged out of position.

Though we haven’t seen it much at City, Guehi is also a threat from set pieces, having taken more shots than any other Premier League centre-back this season. He has largely played on the left, but certainly has the skill set to shift to the other side to accommodate potential centre-back partners.

His experience, incisive distribution and versatility will all be called upon this summer.

Thom Harris

John Stones (Manchester City)

On his day, John Stones is the unflappable, quietly dominant centre-back who makes winning teams tick. It is testament to that ability that Pep Guardiola made him his first signing at Manchester City ago, and that the pair will leave the club together 10 years on.

The problem is that we don’t know how close to his best the 31-year-old currently is.

It has been a tough season for the Manchester City man, his game time dwindling amid persistent injuries and stern competition for starts. He has featured in just 11 per cent of possible minutes in the Premier League this season, largely consigned to cup games and Champions League group stage outings where, to be fair, he looked like his composed self.

Stones’ ability on the ball will assist England’s build-up while his experience and trophy-winning know-how will bring a calming influence on the group. Hopefully his fitness holds up.

Thom Harris

Dan Burn (Newcastle United)

You know what you’re going to get with Dan Burn. 

Maximum commitment, no-nonsense defending and a strong aerial presence. Aside from his profile offering something different within an international set-up, Burn will be well-regarded for his versatility to play centre-back or left-back — as he has done for his club side this season.

He might not be at the forefront of Tuchel’s mind when looking at the starting line-up but Burn will be a valuable squad member that could prove to be a very useful tool in both boxes if England were protecting — or searching for — a lead when the game is tight.

Mark Carey

Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)

If it were raw, technical qualities that Tuchel was looking for at full-back, then Trent Alexander-Arnold would be a guaranteed selection — but Djed Spence’s inclusion shows what England’s manager is prioritising in his squad.

The 25-year-old is decent in possession but his key strengths are his ball-carrying, overlapping (or underlapping) runs beyond the ball, and one-v-one defending. In testing conditions in the United States, that athleticism is clearly regarded as a more important attribute.

Despite his preferred role at right-back, Spence has played a lot of this season at left-back for Tottenham Hotspur. That makes him one of many players in the squad who can play in multiple positions when Tuchel looks to curate his back line.

Mark Carey

Tino Livramento (Newcastle United)

Tino Livramento is an excellent addition to the squad for multiple reasons. 

The first is his energy to get up and down the touchline and dovetail well with his winger ahead of him, overlapping in the final third but swiftly getting back into position when the ball is turned over. He has the technical qualities to go with that but his raw athleticism will be valuable under the searing heat in the United States.

The second reason is his versatility. Livramento can play left or right-back, providing Tuchel with two options for the price of one when considering who can play in his back line. This will be the 23-year-old’s first senior tournament, but he knows what it takes to win with England after winning the under-21 European Championship last summer.

Mark Carey

Reece James (Chelsea)

Where there was once huge competition to play right-back for England, the retirements of Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker, and the eternal question about whether Trent Alexander-Arnold fits into the England side, leave Reece James as the obvious option in that position. His own England career has been somewhat disjointed: he played once at Euro 2020 but missed both World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024 through injury.

Fitness has always been the main question about James. The secondary question is now whether he’s still a right-back. He played his best football this season in central midfield for Chelsea, although has returned to his old right-back role in recent weeks. 

James boasts great speed and crossing ability, and he’s improved in one-against-one situations compared to when he played under Tuchel at club level. He’s also an excellent set-piece taker and scored a fine free kick in the 3-0 qualification win over Latvia.

Michael Cox

Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)

You would be forgiven for ignoring Jarell Quansah’s progress since his move to Germany last summer, but the 23-year-old has been a mainstay of Bayer Leverkusen’s back line this season — helping them to the third-best defensive record in the Bundesliga.

Quansah’s character is composed and unassuming, with a calmness to his game that will rarely see him overawed in possession. He is one of many players in the squad who provides versatility for Tuchel, with an ability to play as a centre-back or right-back in England’s back line.

He only has one senior cap but Quansah is representative of England’s wider youth system — having played at under-16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 level for his country.

Mark Carey

---

The midfielders (6)

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)

If you buy the official World Cup 2026 sticker album, you won’t find any place for Elliot Anderson, who only made his England debut in September.

But with the exception of when Tuchel played two entirely different starting XIs in the March international break, he hasn’t been out of the head coach’s starting line-up since, and is likely to play in the engine room alongside Declan Rice.

Like many emerging English central midfielders, Anderson is a No 8 who can do a bit of everything. He’s tenacious and energetic, but intelligent with his passing and clever at popping up in dangerous positions on the edge of the box. One recent goal against his old team Newcastle, where he played a give-and-go before smashing the ball home, was somewhat reminiscent of Paul Gascoigne. 

Michael Cox

Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)

After being frozen out by former boss Ruben Amorim, Mainoo has regained his fitness and form for Manchester United.

As shown below, the 21-year-old can accelerate an attack — drifting into the left half-space when United go forward, with an eye for a pass between the lines to find his creative team-mates ahead of him.

A lot has changed since Mainoo started in England’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain but his skill set remains the same. Anderson might have the edge for a starting place next to Rice in midfield but Mainoo will make that decision very difficult for Tuchel.

Mark Carey

Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)

Though Jude Bellingham has struggled to live up to his debut season at Real Madrid, when he scored 19 goals and provided a further six assists, he still offers incredible athleticism and duel-winning strength in midfield. 

The 22-year-old is box-to-box and all-action, comfortable both driving his team up the pitch with long-strided runs or ghosting into the penalty area himself. That is reflected by his player role dashboard below, the only midfielder of such a profile in the England squad.

Two years ago in Germany, it was his sensational bicycle kick against Slovakia that kept England in the European Championship before their run to the final. They simply cannot leave a player of his energy, intensity and match-winning ability at home.

Thom Harris

Jordan Henderson (Brentford)

England’s most experienced player, having made his debut back in 2010 under Fabio Capello. Since then, he’s moved from Sunderland to Liverpool, captained them to European Cup and Premier League success, controversially moved to Saudi Arabia, then moved to the Netherlands to captain Ajax, before joining Brentford last summer.

Essentially seen as a solid, reliable and dependable midfielder and a proper leader away from the pitch, Henderson’s selection won’t be popular, but managers consistently appreciate his presence in the squad. He was left out for Euro 2024 after being unable to prove his fitness, but has made himself a regular in Tuchel’s squad. He turns 36 the day before England’s opener against Croatia, so this will surely be his final tournament at international level.

Michael Cox

Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Rice has only grown in stature since his £100million ($130.9m) move to Arsenal; an imperious all-round midfielder who gallops across the pitch to put out fires and spur his team on.

Perhaps his standout attribute is an ability to run with the ball through the middle of the pitch. No central midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues has completed more carries of at least 10 metres this season, a trait that allows him to change the pace of attacks and drive at weaknesses in the opposition.

He deals with possession well, even if he is not a natural at receiving the ball in tight spaces, while his athleticism and sturdy physique allow him to dominate vast areas of the pitch.

Rice has played almost 94 per cent of Arsenal’s minutes in the Premier League and the Champions League this season, both competitions that they could go on to win. He will be just as central for England.

Thom Harris

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Nipping in to slide home Aston Villa’s final goal in the 3-0 Europa League final win over Freiburg was a fitting way for Morgan Rogers to finish a 2025-26 campaign in which he briefly felt like the in-form player in the Premier League.

Granted, he started the season slowly and fatigue probably played a role towards the end of the campaign but, at his best, Rogers seemed to be scoring long-range curlers almost every week.

Tuchel has long seemed a fan of Rogers, often favouring him in the No 10 role ahead of Jude Bellingham — the two grew up together in the West Midlands and have a friendly rivalry for that spot. But Rogers is able to play in a variety of positions and actually often looked better for Villa this season when drifting infield from the left. 

Michael Cox

---

Forwards (8)

Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

When Bukayo Saka missed the decisive penalty as England lost the Euro 2020 final on home soil, he was a young, emerging talent.

Since then, he’s had two separate eras of his career. He bounced back from that disappointment to enjoy three hugely consistent seasons for Arsenal, recording 18, 25 and 25 goal contributions. But that figure has fallen to 16 and 12 in the last couple of seasons, amid fatigue and injury issues.

But managers like Saka, in part because he’s more defensively diligent than most wingers and his tactical flexibility means he can fill in as something of a wing-back at times. In attack, Saka is excellent at nipping inside from the right flank to receive forward passes on the run, and loves attempting low shots from inside-right positions on the edge of the box.

Michael Cox

Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)

Few players thrive more than Eberechi Eze when given the creative freedom to unlock a defence.

Some head coaches might want their players to fit within a rigid structure but the 27-year-old is at his best when given licence to roam. A mid-season dip in form saw Eze come out of the Arsenal side but he was crucial in their march to the title in the final weeks of the season. 

With an ability to glide past an opponent, thread a pass forward, or thump a shot from distance, Eze can bring unpredictability to Tuchel’s squad. That might mean that he is not a regular starter but the quality he can bring from the bench is not to be underestimated.

Mark Carey

Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United)

“He is explosive, fast, strong in the air, so for him there are no limits,” Tuchel said about Rashford in October 2025, having brought him back into the squad in March 2025 after a year away.

Those qualities were on show in 2025-26. Rashford’s season at Barcelona brought two winners’ medals and 23 goal contributions across La Liga and the Champions League, including a memorable free kick against Real Madrid this month, all while playing across the front line.

Concerns about Rashford have been spurned chances and an inability to maintain his output with and without the ball for 90 minutes when compared to Raphinha, the man he covered for.

Rashford provides experience, having played at the last two World Cups. His short bursts of pace will prove handy on the break and against the low blocks England might encounter, while he showed better defensive engagement overall during his season in Catalonia.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Noni Madueke (Arsenal)

Noni Madueke’s modus operandi is his dribbling. Only six Premier League players (with 900-plus minutes) average more take-ons than his six per 90 minutes this season, as he consistently looks to commit bodies towards him.

Beyond that drop of a shoulder, Madueke would be the first to say that his end product still needs to improve. His versatility to play on either wing will come in handy, but this season’s two league goals and a single assist for Arsenal are not attacking numbers that leap off the page.

The 24-year-old can offer a valuable skill set to the squad, with his dribbling ability likely to be desired against tired legs off the bench. However, Madueke will not be expecting to start ahead of his club team-mate Bukayo Saka on the right of England’s attack. 

Mark Carey

Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)

A return of six league goals will be a disappointment for Anthony Gordon but the 25-year-old did thrive on the European stage with 10 goals in 12 Champions League games for Newcastle. The hope will be that he provides output closer to the latter than the former this summer.

At his best, Gordon’s relentless energy can be a key weapon in and out of possession — pressing relentlessly, dribbling frequently, and consistently offering runs beyond the opposition defence. That could prove to be particularly useful in England’s set-up, with Kane likely to drop deeper and look for team-mates ahead of him.

While he might not have had the strongest campaign individually, Gordon could be a crucial cog in Tuchel’s wider system. 

Mark Carey

Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)

Harry Kane is undoubtedly England’s star man and is coming off the back of an incredible Bundesliga season for Bayern Munich after scoring 36 league goals at a rate of 1.4 per 90 minutes — comfortably the best of his career.

England’s all-time top goalscorer has carried a lot of the attacking burden in recent years. Kane scored eight of his country’s 20 goals during qualifying and has scored 34 per cent of their total goals in their last four major tournaments.

He will be a marked man for much of the tournament, but the 32-year-old’s ability to evade defenders and intelligently drop into pockets of space is one of his key strengths. In hot, testing conditions in the United States, he will need runners ahead of him to pick out — providing him with the freedom to punish opponents with his creativity as well as his elite finishing.

Thom Harris

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Ollie Watkins provided one of the best moments in the recent history of the England national side with his excellent winner on the spin against the Netherlands at Euro 2024. At that tournament, he was the main understudy to Kane, offering the speed in behind that England’s captain looked unable to provide.

He’s only scored two further England goals since then and his club form with Aston Villa has been patchy, even in a season which ended with Europa League success. But he’s hit double figures in each of his six seasons with Villa and can work the channels excellently.

Ultimately, Tuchel has selected the three strikers Gareth Southgate picked at Euro 2024: Kane, Toney, Watkins.

Michael Cox

Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli)

The biggest surprise name among the attackers, Toney was unfortunate to miss out on the World Cup 2022 squad after a good run of form, but had a decent impact at Euro 2024 as a substitute, assisting Kane’s late equaliser against Slovakia with a flick-on.

In the quarter-finals, he was brought on primarily to take a penalty and converted in England’s shootout win over Switzerland. His record of 59 from 63 from the spot might be a key reason for his inclusion.

Equally, Toney has spent the last two years playing in Saudi Arabia, so it is remarkable he’s been selected over the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck, considering they’ve had such fine seasons in the Premier League. He has, at least, scored 72 goals since joining Al-Ahli in 2024.

Michael Cox