England took an injury blow just one day before its first match in the 2026 World Cup.
Defender Tino Livramento was ruled out of the tournament due to a muscle issue in his calf suffered during training on Sunday. Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah will replace the Newcastle defender.
Livramento has six international caps and made an appearance in all of England’s 2026 matches except for the most recent one against Costa Rica last week.
His ability to defend on the left and right flanks made him a valuable asset for England’s manager Thomas Tuchel, who led the 23-year-old for a few months during the 2021 season at Chelsea.
“We’re gutted for you, Tino, and wishing you a speedy recovery,” England said in a statement.
England is able to make a roster swap thanks to FIFA’s rule allowing “participating teams to replace an outfield player up to 24 hours before their opening fixture.”
Chalobah will miss England’s first game against Croatia, but will meet up with the team at its home base in Kansas City right after.
He has made just one appearance for England in 2025.
Chalobah was called up by Tuchel for the October qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, but never got in.
The defender also has experience under England’s manager, having played for him at Chelsea in 2021, making 31 appearances over 12 months and scoring four goals.
Chelsea’s last game was on May 24, but Chalobah has stayed in game shape in preparation for newly appointed manager Xabi Alonso’s first preseason in London.
The Chelsea academy graduate was chosen over proven commodities like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fikayo Tomori, Lewis Hall and Harry Maguire.