FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: John Stones ruled out of England games; Kane set to play against Andorra

FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers: John Stones ruled out of England games; Kane set to play against Andorra

John Stones has been ruled out of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia with a muscle injury.

The Manchester City defender left the national team training camp on Friday, with head coach Thomas Tuchel saying he could not be risked for the upcoming games.

Stones played in all three of City’s Premier League games this season, but Tuchel said he was carrying an injury when reporting for England duty.

“He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn’t progress as we thought and hoped he would, so he left camp this morning because we will not take the risk, not against Andorra and also unfortunately not against Serbia,” Tuchel said Friday.

England plays Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday and Serbia in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Tuchel said captain Harry Kane would play against Andorra, insisting he would take no chances as he attempts to secure World Cup qualification.

“It’s World Cup season. We have a condensed period of three camps (until the end of qualifying),” he said. “Competition is on, and that means we will start with the team that we trust and with the best team possible for this game, and then we will manage the second game.”

Published on Sep 05, 2025