England's FIFA World Cup 2026 squad announcement delivered more surprises than most had anticipated, and among the biggest was the recall of Ivan Toney — a forward who had not featured in a Three Lions squad for the best part of a year.

The 30-year-old Al-Ahli striker last appeared under manager Thomas Tuchel as an 88th-minute substitute in a defeat by Senegal at the City Ground, and had since been omitted from four consecutive squads. His return, by Tuchel's own admission, was not entirely expected even within the England camp.

"[It was] also a bit of a surprise to us [his inclusion]," said Tuchel. "When it came down to all different kinds of scenarios he was back in the picture."

What Tuchel sees in Toney

Tuchel pointed to glowing reports from Toney's club coach — a former player of the German's — as a key factor in the recall. Fitness, attitude, and form in Saudi Arabia all weighed in Toney's favour.

The numbers Toney has put together in the Saudi Pro League are difficult to dismiss. He has scored 55 goals in 62 matches across two seasons — a rate that outpaces Cristiano Ronaldo, who managed 53 goals in 60 appearances in the same competition. This season alone, Toney finished second in the domestic scoring charts with 32 goals in 32 games, also surpassing Harry Kane in both assists and shot conversion rate.

His Premier League record of 36 goals in 85 appearances — roughly one every other game — further underlines his credentials as a reliable finisher.

"I think he has very special skills that could help us in situations and scenarios when we are chasing a result," Tuchel said. "He can be present in the box when we are pushing for a goal. He can take attention off other strikers, he has a natural presence within the box — and not to forget, he is a world-class penalty taker."

A role tailor-made for him

Toney is expected to fill the same impact-substitute role he occupied at Euro 2024, where all three of his appearances came from the bench when England were chasing the game. His most memorable moment in that tournament arrived in the quarter-final shootout against Switzerland, when he scored his penalty without glancing at the ball, instead holding the goalkeeper's gaze throughout his run-up.

With only Kane and Ollie Watkins also named as centre-forwards, Toney is one of just three strikers in a 26-man squad — a leaner selection than England have traditionally carried into major tournaments.

Tuchel opted against including Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, both of whom have struggled to reproduce their best form in 2025-26, choosing instead a player brimming with confidence and well-acclimatised to the intense heat England will face at the tournament across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

From betting ban to World Cup contender

Toney's path to this moment has been anything but straightforward. He began his career at Northampton before moving to Newcastle United, where he was sent out on six loan spells before eventually joining Peterborough. He scored in all four tiers of English football before Brentford signed him in 2020.

He helped Brentford beat Swansea 2-0 at Wembley to secure promotion to the Premier League in 2021, then peaked with 20 league goals in the 2022-23 season. Yet Toney did not earn his first England cap until the age of 27 — an age by which Kane already had 46 caps and Wayne Rooney had accumulated 78.

In May 2023, the Football Association banned him for eight months after he was found guilty of 232 breaches of its betting rules. He returned in January 2024, scored in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest, and was back in an England squad within months.

Toney subsequently joined Al-Ahli in August 2024 for £40 million, reportedly earning £400,000 per week after tax on a four-year deal. Now, after months in the international wilderness, he heads to North America with England — and Tuchel's conviction that he can make the difference when the stakes are highest.

England open their Group L campaign against Croatia on Wednesday, 17 June (21:00 BST).