Saka will not start against Ghana: Tuchel

England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Bukayo Saka is highly unlikely to start against Ghana in the second Group L match of the ongoing 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel intends to protect Saka by bringing him off the bench, with plans to make him a starter for the final group match against Panama.

Despite not being in the starting line-up in their first 4-2 win over Croatia, Saka came on as a substitute and made an immediate impact, assisting Marcus Rashford on England’s fourth goal.

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Noni Madueke is expected to retain his place on the right wing, although Tuchel has hinted that he has to make difficult selection decisions following strong training performances from Saka and Rashford.

“Bukayo is ready and he will be more and more ready. I think that once we get to the last game of this group he will be ready.

“Yesterday he was strong in training, in small spaces. It was just a question of whether the game against Croatia was open and there were ups and downs.

“We are very strong off the bench and I was very impressed with everyone against Costa Rica because they pushed the buttons and the accelerator and kept suffocating the opponent.

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“We needed this quality against Croatia to get over the line. I know they are all starters. They accept the idea that we do it as a team.”

England will face Ghana on Tuesday before playing Panama on June 27. A win against Ghana would guarantee a place in the next round for England, who are firm favorites to win their final two group matches.