Soccer-England call up Chalobah and Trafford as Gordon and Pope ruled out


Soccer Football - UEFA Champions League - Bayern Munich v Chelsea - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - September 17, 2025 Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah reacts REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

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)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Football

Soccer-'The World Cup curse,' Italy in tears after missing out for third straight time
Factbox-Soccer-World Cup group lineups
Soccer-Australia savour goal glut before World Cup but squad depth questions remain
Soccer-Iraq qualify for World Cup with win over Bolivia
Soccer-Mexico draw 1-1 with Belgium in Chicago ahead of World Cup
Soccer-Tuanzebe shines for DR Congo as they qualify for World Cup
Soccer-Japan high on confidence ahead of World Cup after beating England
Soccer-Brazil score twice late on to beat Croatia 3-1 in World Cup tune-up
Harimau Malaya fall to Vietnam, but Cklamovski hails players’ resolve
Soccer-DR Congo score extra-time winner to qualify for World Cup

Others Also Read