Newcastle United's England international trio of Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson have had their 2022 World Cup pursuits boosted after FIFA confirmed the approval of 26-man squads for the competition.
While 23-man squads were previously used for the World Cup and European Championships, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the expansion of squads for international tournaments.
Now, Gareth Southgate will be able to name a 26-man England squad for Qatar 2022, with up to 15 substitutes allowed on the bench, meaning no player misses out on a World Cup match day this winter.
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The announcement will likely boost the chances Pope, Trippier and Wilson who harbour ambitions of representing England in Qatar.
Pope and Trippier are two players who have featured in a number of squads for Southgate, with the England boss naming the latter as a key member of the Three Lions leadership group.
Pope, who recently joined Newcastle from Burnley, has made eight appearances for England between the sticks while Trippier will be hoping to add to his 37-caps.
The full-back, who has played at right-back, left-back, right wing-back and left wing-back for England is seen as a versatile defender by Southgate and will almost certainly make the 26-man squad barring injury.
Pope's Qatar chances potentially rest on whether or not he can beat out Martin Dubravka for the Newcastle number one jersey. If he does so, is playing regular first-team football and is in good form, he will probably join Trippier on the plane for the World Cup.
Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale look set to battle it out for the starting goalkeeper spot in Southgate's side, leaving the 26-man squad needing a third choice keeper. That position will likely come down to either Dean Henderson or Pope.
Wilson, however, could be facing an uphill battle to make it to Qatar. The Newcastle striker spent most of the second half of the season injured, returning for a handful of fixtures at the end of the Magpies campaign. He has made four appearances for the Three Lions so far, scoring on his debut against the United States back in November 2018.
Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are all ahead of Wilson in Southgate's pecking order at the moment. But, if Wilson can keep himself fit and hit the ground running next season, he could absolutely make the England squad. A 26-man squad means there could be three wildcard selections.
During his two years on Tyneside, Wilson has scored 20 goals in 44 Premier League appearances, which is a strong return for someone who has spent time out injured.
If Wilson is enjoying a purple patch of form ahead of the World Cup, Southgate could absolutely select the Newcastle striker. The final two games of Newcastle's season against Arsenal and Burnley showed what a fully fit Wilson can do in a confident side. If Newcastle start the season how they finished last season, Wilson should score plenty of goals.
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