England's right back Reece James, 26, will miss the final Group L World Cup match against Panama on June 28 in New Jersey after sustaining a hamstring injury in their goalless draw with Ghana on June 23 [1, 2, 3]. James required heavy strapping during the game and has been following an individual rehabilitation program, as he did not travel with the team to New Jersey [3, 4, 5].
England manager Thomas Tuchel described the injury as minor but impactful enough to keep James out. "He was not able to train the last two days. He's on an accelerated rehab programme. We will take it game by game but we strongly believe that he will be available for us again in the tournament," Tuchel said [5]. James has a history of hamstring issues, having missed two months due to a similar injury in March 2026 [6].
James started England's first two World Cup games, playing the full 90 minutes against Croatia and Ghana [1, 2]. To fill James's absence, Tuchel is making five changes to the starting lineup for the Panama match. Jarell Quansah will make his first World Cup start on the right back position [7, 8]. Tuchel defended his squad selection, saying, "Yes, I am [happy with my options at right-back]. We would love to have every single key player... we find solutions, it's what we do" [9].
Other key players, including Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Elliot Anderson, all recovered from minor issues and are expected to feature against Panama. Rice, 27, who suffered a calf injury in the Ghana match, missed one training session but returned fully fit [1, 2, 4, 5]. Tuchel noted, "Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson trained with us today. They had minor issues after the game but everyone is available for us apart from Reece James" [10].
England currently top Group L with four points, level with Ghana, and ahead of Croatia on three points and Panama on zero [2, 3]. Panama have lost both their previous matches and are already eliminated from the tournament [7, 8]. Despite Panama's status, Tuchel warned that they are a well-drilled side. "We mustn't underestimate Panama. They're a well-trained team and can play under the underdog tag without pressure," he said [11].
In other news, goalkeeper Jordan Pickford moved to second place on England's all-time World Cup appearances list with 15 matches after the Ghana game, just two behind record-holder Peter Shilton with 17 [7, 8].
England’s final group game against Panama is set for June 28 at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Reece James will definitely miss the match, while the squad prepares to secure qualification for the knockout stage [5, 7, 8].
