Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 11, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleChalobah and Trafford join England's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, replacing injured Gordon and Pope.
LONDON (Reuters) -Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford have been added to England's squad for their final two World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, the Football Association said on Tuesday.
Their call-ups followed the withdrawals of Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon and keeper Nick Pope through injury and concussion respectively.
Chalobah could get an opportunity for a second senior cap as Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi is big doubt after suffering a foot injury that kept him out of his side's Premier League draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the weekend.
Guehi reported for international duty but will be assessed at the squad's base at Tottenham Hotspur's training ground.
The 26-year-old Chalobah was given his England senior debut by head coach Thomas Tuchel in the friendly against Senegal in June but was not part of the last two squads. Tuchel also gave Chalobah his Chelsea debut in 2021.
England, who have qualified for next year's World Cup finals in North America as group winners, host Serbia at Wembley on Thursday before facing Albania in Tirana on Sunday.
Serbia and Albania are battling for second place.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
World Cup qualifiers are matches that determine which national teams will participate in the FIFA World Cup. Teams compete in a series of matches to earn a spot in the tournament.
A football squad is a group of players selected to represent a team in competitions. The squad typically includes starting players and substitutes.
A cap is an official appearance for a player in a national team match. Each match played for the national team counts as one cap.
Concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a blow to the head or body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull. It can result in various symptoms and requires careful management.
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