When is the England squad announcement for March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium?

With Euro 2024 on the horizon, many England fans are now counting down the weeks until this summer’s tournament in Germany.

The Three Lions narrowly missed out on glory in the final of the 2020 edition of the tournament with a narrow penalty shoot-out loss to winners Italy, but many feel that Gareth Southgate’s class of 2024 has the potential to finally get over the line this time around.

As the Premier League season draws to a close with just 10 games remaining, this month’s international break will give a crucial insight into Southgate’s thinking for the Euros as he prepares to pick his final 23 man squad for the tournament in just a few months time.

The upcoming friendlies in March against Brazil and Belgium mark the final international break before the highly anticipated tournament and a number of players will hope to make a statement to secure their place on the plane this summer.

When is the England squad announcement?

Gareth Southgate will name his squad for the two friendlies against Brazil and Belgium on Thursday 14 March at 2pm UK time. England face Brazil at Wembley on Saturday 23 March and will then host Belgium on Tuesday 26 March.

Both fixtures are against elite opposition, giving fans a clear assessment of where the team are currently at in terms of their performance levels. Brazil are five-time winners of the World Cup and were runners-up in the Copa America in 2021. Belgium are potential opponents for England in the knockout stages of the European Championships. They have beaten the Three Lions in three of their last four meetings, including twice at the 2018 World Cup.

Who is likely to make England’s squad for the March friendlies?

Manchester City star Jack Grealish, Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold are doubts due to injury, while Manchester United left back Luke Shaw and Newcastle right back Kieran Trippier are sidelined. Chelsea full back Reece James and Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope are recovering from injury, but not yet ready to return.

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is enjoying a tremendous breakout campaign. He earned two caps at the end of 2023 and is hoping to earn his place in the squad after an impressive run of form.

Brentford talisman Ivan Toney is available for the first time since his betting suspension. He has picked up where he left off in terms of goals for the Bees and will be pushing to play in his first major tournament.

The usual suspects of Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), John Stones (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jordan Pickford (Everton) and Phil Foden (Manchester City) are all expected to be included.

The remaining areas are up for debate, particularly in midfield as Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Kalvin Phillips (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (West Ham), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea) and Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) are all in contention.