Branthwaite & Pickford Called Up By England

Jarrad Branthwaite and Jordan Pickford have been called up by England for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League matches.

The Blues duo were selected by England head coach Thomas Tuchel on Friday morning as his squad prepare for four fixtures in Group A3 of the competition over the extended international break.

The call-up is reward for Branthwaite's fine start to the season for Everton, with the 24-year-old centre-back bidding to add to the one England cap he earned against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024. 

Pickford – who recently received a record-extending fifth Premier League Save of the Month award for his outstanding stop to deny Crystal Palace's Eddie Nketiah on the opening day of the 2026/27 campaign – is set to build on the 91 caps he has for his country.

England start their Nations League campaign with a clash against newly-crowned world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 26 September, before travelling to Czechia three days later.

A meeting away to Croatia follows on Saturday 3 October, ahead of the return fixture against Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday 6 October.

Meanwhile, Blues forwards Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling have been called up by England Under-21s for upcoming EURO U21 qualifiers against Kazakhstan, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland.