Maguire opens up about World Cup axe: "I was shocked and devastated"
The Manchester United defender opened up about the moment Tuchel cut him from the 2026 World Cup squad via video call. 'I was shocked and devastated.'
Imagine getting a message at 4 p.m. from a World Cup manager — and knowing, before you even pick up, that the news isn't good. That's exactly what Harry Maguire went through.
The Manchester United defender revealed, in an interview on the podcast The Rest is Football World Cup, that he learned of his omission from the England squad via a video call from Thomas Tuchel. Pulling no punches, he described the moment: "It was quite an awkward conversation," Maguire said, in quotes reported by ge.
The hurt was immediate. "I was shocked and devastated by the decision," the player wrote on social media after the squad was announced. He believed he had done enough to earn his place — he had returned to the squad in March, played well, and finished the season in strong form at United. "I felt I had done enough to be in the group," he said.
Tuchel, for his part, gave no specific reason. According to Maguire, the German coach explained that he preferred to keep the four defenders who had been with him since the start of his tenure in the autumn. The manager, when contacted by ge, acknowledged the quality of Maguire's season but defended the consistency of his choice.
The pain extended beyond the dressing room. Maguire's wife said she was "devastated," and his mother called the decision "absolutely disgraceful." With 66 caps for the senior national team, the defender was a constant presence at England's recent major tournaments — and he feels he still has something to offer.
"If I could earn one more cap, it would all be worth it," he said. Retirement? Not a chance.
England arrive at the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites — Golmetria's model gives them a 6.78% chance of lifting the trophy, with a 93% probability of advancing from the group stage. Maguire will be watching it all from the outside. The question that lingers: will he still get a chance to come back before the tournament is over?