England have been dealt a massive blow as Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 due to injury.
Full-back Livramento’s injury comes just one day before the Three Lions’ opening match against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday. Chelsea center-back Trevoh Chalobah has been called up as his replacement and is on his way to the United States.
Defender Livramento injured himself during training and was in doubt for the mega event. After assessment by a medical panel, he was ruled out of the tournament. His participation was already in doubt after he missed the final five weeks of the Premier League with a thigh problem.
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According to Fifa regulations, a player can be replaced in the 26-man squad up to 24 hours before that side’s first game of the tournament. However, the change could be only a name from the 55-man provisional player list submitted before the tournament.
Although Chalobah is not expected to play against Croatia, he is likely to play for the subsequent matches against Ghana and Panama.
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The 23-year-old Livramento was set to play as a back-up option for Reece James and Nico O’Reilly, who are set to be in the lineup for England’s opening fixture.
Meanwhile, Trevoh Chalobah has only played once for England since making his maiden appearance against Senegal last June.
Overall, the 26-year-old has played 34 Premier League matches for Chelsea this season, who finished 10th on the Premier League table.
On the contrary, Livramento has five caps to his name, and this was his first major tournament call-up. The defender was also part of the England side that won in a World Cup friendly against New Zealand 10 days ago.
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