Jude Bellingham recalled by England: Thomas Tuchel to call up Real Madrid star for November squad, per reports

With England officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Three Lions can now focus fully on preparing for next summer’s tournament.

Manager Thomas Tuchel will aim to balance preparing the first-team players with maintaining their health and fitness.

One player who has had to walk that tightrope is Jude Bellingham, who started the 2025/26 club season on the shelf thanks to shoulder surgery. He returned to the pitch in mid-September but was worked back to full match fitness slowly, and his national team standing was the same.

The Sporting News details his current status with the Three Lions, as England are set to conclude World Cup qualifying in November with a pair of matches against Serbia and Albania.

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Jude Bellingham recalled by England

According to multiple reports, including by James Olley of ESPN, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has been recalled to the England national team for World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania this November.

Questions persisted about Bellingham’s place in the squad after he was left off the roster in October for England’s matches against Wales and Latvia. The Three Lions defeated Wales 3-0 in a friendly before routing Latvia 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

With the November pair of games being the final fixtures in UEFA’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, England have already secured qualification for next summer’s tournament, making their final two matches competitively meaningless.

Why did Tuchel leave out Bellingham before?

The England boss opted not to call up Jude Bellingham for the October international break so he could fully regain fitness after returning from injury.

The 22-year-old underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, shortly after the Club World Cup, and had not yet played a full 90 minutes for Real Madrid by the end of September.

Despite being back on the pitch, Tuchel said Bellingham had “not quite gathered his full rhythm again.” He added that Bellingham wanted to be called up, but Tuchel explained his omission during a phone conversation.

There were rumours of discontent between Tuchel and Bellingham around his omission during October, stoked by an interview Tuchel did with talkSPORT where he praised Bellingham's "fire" but said his mother sometimes found the player's on-field behaviour to be "repulsive."

The German boss later apologised for the remarks, saying he should have chosen his words more carefully while noting he was speaking in his second language.

When is the November England squad announced?

The England roster for the November international break is expected to be released on Friday, November 7.

Thomas Tuchel is expected to call in 23 players for the final two World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

England fixture schedule for November international break

The first match against 36th-ranked Serbia will take place on Thursday, November 13 at Wembley Stadium, before the Three Lions travel to meet 61st-ranked Albania on Sunday in Tirana.