Declan Rice has been suffering from illness Michael Steele/Getty ImagesJuly 9, 2026 Updated 10:57 pm EDTEngland fly to Miami on Friday with new selection doubts over key pair Declan Rice and Marc Guehi ahead of Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final with Norway.Guehi has felt tightness in his hamstring this week following the Mexico game while Rice has been suffering with illness. Both players missed training on Wednesday.Reece James also missed training on Wednesday as he continues to recover from a hamstring problem.Rice has started in all of his team’s games so far aside from the 2-0 win over Panama, where he was an unused substitute.The Arsenal midfielder has formed part of Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice trio alongside Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham. He has been indispensable for Arsenal and England, featuring a combined 66 times for club and country since the start of the 2025-26 season.
He started the last-16 tie against Mexico and played the entire game, though he was booked in the first minute. If he does feature in the quarter-final and receives a yellow card, he will be suspended for the semi-final if England advance to that stage.In the team’s World Cup opener against Croatia, Rice played the majority of the 4-2 win, providing an assist, before being taken off in the 71st minute.Rice told ITV Sport after the match that he was “feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring” which he had been managing since around the Christmas period.Guehi has started every game since the opening game against Croatia, and played every minute of the last-16 victory over Mexico last Sunday. James has not played since finishing England’s second group game against Ghana.England already have selection concerns in defence with Jarell Quansah serving a suspension after he was sent off in the Mexico win. Quansah will miss the semi-final if England qualifies after FIFA gave him a two-game ban.If James is not fit to start on Saturday, Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence would be in contention to start at right-back.Tuchel is expected to give an update later on Friday about the health of his squad ahead of Saturday’s game.
