England manager Thomas Tuchel has ruled Ollie Watkins out of the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Latvia. The Aston Villa striker sustained a knock during England’s 3-0 victory over Wales, colliding with the goalpost just before half-time. Although he continued briefly, Watkins was substituted for Marcus Rashford at the break.
The national team confirmed: “Ollie Watkins has been ruled out of England’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Latvia. The Aston Villa striker has not recovered from the knock sustained against Wales at Wembley on Thursday evening and has returned to his club. A squad of 22 will travel to Riga.”
Watkins had started the match against Wales, replacing an injured Harry Kane, and scored in the 11th minute after capitalizing on defensive errors. Morgan Rogers had opened the scoring in the third minute, and Bukayo Saka added a third with a curling strike into the top-left corner.
England captain Harry Kane is expected to return for the Latvia fixture, while Tottenham youngster Dane Scarlett, who joined senior training on Monday, will not travel with the squad.
Watkins’ absence comes just two days after Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah also withdrew due to injury, leaving Tuchel to take a cautious approach as England look to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
