Bellingham's six matches to win back his England spot ahead of 2026 World Cup

Jude Bellingham will be looking to win back a call up to the England squad next month and make his case for a spot on the plane next summer as he seeks to impress Thomas Tuchel

Jude Bellingham's England career has been stalled somewhat after he was left out of Thomas Tuchel's side in the recent international break. For some it has sparked the conversation of whether his place to the 2026 World Cup next summer is in jeopardy after missing out on the Three Lions' friendly against Wales and Latvia despite still being a 1/7 shoe-in with Bet365 to get on the plane.

The midfielder has been struggling with fitness of late having missed out on Real Madrid's opening four matches in La Liga meaning the former Birmingham City man has had to play catch up to impress new boss Xabi Alonso. This has not gone as great as many Los Blancos fans had hoped.

For someone who at times carried Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti's guidance, Bellingham has struggled with getting a starting place in the Madrid squad under his new boss. He has managed four appearances since returning to injury in La Liga with one start - a humiliating 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid - and just 10 minutes on the Champions League stage.

With England's spot in the World Cup secured already after thrashing Latvia earlier this week, the next two qualifying group stage internationals will be seen as a warm-up for Tuchel to utilise his players and impress him before they head over to North America in June. Bellingham will want to receive a call-up to make his case heard in front of the German who has found a rhythm with the likes of Declan Rice, Elliott Anderson, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers impressing the head coach.

Tuchel has said he will be talking to the 22-year-old but will no doubt be keeping a close eye on him ahead of the next international break which is less than four weeks away with matches against Serbia and Albania on the agenda. Here are the six matches Bellingham needs to perform in to earn a call-up for the Three Lions squad

Bellingham's six matches to keep World Cup 2026 hopes

Getafe (a)

Only one of two away matches over this period will certainly benefit Bellingham who has made the Santiago Bernabeu his second home. With two weeks off and building on his fitness, he will first be looking to impress Alonso to get back a regular starter for Madrid and will be looking to make a mark starting at the Coliseum Stadium as the league leaders look to increase the gap between themselves and Barcelona this weekend.

Juventus (H)

A heavyweight clash as Serie A club Juventus come to the Bernabeu in the Champions League. This will be the first major test for Bellingham to get involved and show what he is worth to Tuchel as the hosts look to maintain their perfect start on the European stage while Juve look to secure their first win.

Barcelona (H)

The one so many will be looking forward to - El Clasico. The stage will be set at the Santiago Bernabeu with Madrid currently two points ahead of their arch-rivals and holders Barcelona making this a huge six-pointer. Fellow compatriot Marcus Rashford will equally want to keep his impressive form at the Nou Camp club going and this will be the perfect match to show he has put the past form at United fully behind him on the big stage.

Bellingham was instrumental in his first season at Madrid with his goals being the difference in both matches as Los Blancos secured back-to-back wins in the 2023/24 season. However, he failed to hit the mark again last season as Barca scored eight times over the two matches including a humiliating 4-0 loss at the Bernabeu - something Alonso will be keen to make sure does not happen in his first El Clasico as Madrid boss.

Valencia (H)

Former champions Valencia come to the capital city as they look to transform their underwhelming form against the league leaders. Last season saw both sides pick up a 2-1 win each with Bellingham securing three goal involvements including the winner deep into injury time. A similar performance and securing three points will definitely tip the scales his way in impressing Tuchel.

Liverpool (a)

Another Champions League match against another heavyweight. The Reds against Los Blancos has always promised to be spectacle in recent years including two finals with the Spanish side running out victors on both occasions. However, this will be another chance for Bellingham to right a few wrongs after featuring in last season's 2-0 defeat at Anfield in last season's group stage.

If Bellingham is to plead his case this will be the second of the two most important matches - behind El Clasico - in this run for him to show he is capable of not only featuring but playing a starring role in the World Cup campaign next summer.

Rayo Vallecano (H)

By this time, Tuchel would have announced his squad and in the worst case scenario there could still be time to prove him wrong. Their opponents currently sit just two points above the relegation zone and are expected to finish in the bottom half of the table but Bellingham will be looking to secure the three points for Los Blancos and show he is ready for the call-up if someone withdraws.