England squad watch: Madueke and Watkins score in PL finale

After England head coach Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup was announced live on the England app on Friday 22 May, we keep track of our Three Lions’ final matches of their club campaigns before they travel to Miami from 1st June.

24 May: Madueke strikes in title celebration

Noni Madueke scored the winning goal as Arsenal marked the day they lifted the Premier League Trophy with a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace.The Three Lions winger joined fellow World Cup call-ups Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze in receiving their medals and getting their hands on the Trophy in a party atmosphere at Selhurst Park.

Eze came on as a substitute while Rice and Saka were rested ahead of the Gunners’ UEFA Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday 30 May.

England goalkeeper Dean Henderson captained Palace and played 90 minutes.

Elsewhere on the final day, Djed Spence celebrated getting the call-up to Tuchel’s squad with a hard-earned clean sheet as Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton 1-0 to secure Premier League safety.

Everton and England No 1 Jordan Pickford played 90 minutes and got a touch on Joao Paulinha’s winning goal, but it wasn’t enough to deny Spurs victory.

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins will travel to the United States after scoring twice in a 2-1 victory at Manchester City on the final day, only a few days after winning the UEFA Europa League.

Goalkeeper James Trafford and centre-back John Stones played 90 and 78 minutes respectively for Man City, started for Man City, while City’s Nico O’Reilly was rested, while Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers were rested for Villa.

Central midfielder Kobbie Mainoo played the full match as Manchester United earned a fine 3-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion as they finished third in the table.

Jordan Henderson prepared for his fourth FIFA World Cup with England by playing 60 minutes in a 1-1 draw for Brentford at his old club Liverpool.

Reece James came on as a 53rd-minute substitute but was unable to prevent Chelsea losing 2-1 at Sunderland, while Elliot Anderson played 65 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 1-1 draw with AFC Bournemouth.

Dan Burn started as Newcastle United lost 2-0 at his old club Fulham, while Magpies and England team-mates Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento were an unused sub and rested from the squad respectively.

 

23 May: Kane ends Bayern season with 61 goals

Three Lions captain Harry Kane ended a record-breaking campaign for Bayern Munich in style as he hit a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in the DfB Pokal final.

He headed in the opener on 55 minutes and made it 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining when he superbly swivelled and finished after his spectacular long-range strike thumped off the crossbar.

A trademark Kane penalty sealed his hat-trick and a German league and cup double. He ended the season with 61 goals in 51 matches.

Our other Germany-based player set for the World Cup, Jarrell Quansah, has already finished his club campaign with Bayer Leverkusen.

Jude Bellingham warmed up for the World Cup with a goal as he produced an emphatic finish to help La Liga runners up Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 4-2 on the final day.

Marcus Rashford played 90 minutes as FC Barcelona, already crowned Spanish champions, lost 3-1 at Valencia in the season finale. 

England will prepare for the World Cup with fixtures against New Zealand in Tampa and Costa Rica in Orlando on 6 and 10 June respectively, with tickets still on sale for those games, before beginning their finals campaign against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday 17 June (9pm BST). Further Group L matches will follow against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday 23 June (9pm BST) and Panama in New York/New Jersey on Saturday 27 June (10pm BST). You can see full details of England's World Cup schedule here.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)