STOURBRIDGE-born footballer Jude Bellingham has been named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup in Qatar.

With 11 days to go until the Three Lions kick-off their Group B campaign against Iran, the 26-man group that will be travelling to the Gulf next week has been revealed.

19-year-old Bellingham, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, will be on the plane with the likes of Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford.

Bellingham becomes the first player born in the Dudley borough to represent England at a World Cup. 

He is also one of only three players born in Stourbridge to play for England including Joe Bache and Pat Beasley. 

 

Who is in the England squad for the World Cup?

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw (both Man Utd), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones, Kyle Walker (both Man City), Keiran Trippier (Newcastle), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher (both Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Kalvin Phillips (Man City)

Forwards: James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden, Jack Grealish (both Man City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)

 

Asked if his squad contained everything necessary to win a World Cup, England manager Southgate said: “We’ve wanted to make sure the balance of the squad is right.

“I think the squad is more important than ever. With five substitutes you can have almost half the team changed during the game so you want different options for different moments of matches and stages at the tournament as well.

“We’ve had to cover a couple of players that aren’t yet fully fit, so having 26 available meant we were probably able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23, but we think the balance is there and we’ve got cover in the positions we need.

“We’re lighter on depth in some positions than others but we think we’ve got everything covered.”