Tino Livramento ruled out of World Cup as England call up Trevoh Chalobah

England’s Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup through injury, Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA

England full-back Tino Livramento has been ruled out of World Cup and replaced by Trevoh Chalobah on the eve of their opener against Croatia.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have been forced into a late squad change ahead of Wednesday’s Group L curtain raiser against Croatia after the Newcastle defender picked up an injury.

Livramento trained with his England team-mates in front of the media at their Kansas City base on Sunday, but eyebrows were raised later that day when he pulled out of planned media duties.

The Football Association has now confirmed the 23-year-old will miss the World Cup with a calf issue, leading to Chelsea centre-back Chalobah being drafted in as a late replacement.

“Trevoh Chalobah has been called into England’s 26-player squad at FIFA World Cup 2026 after injury sadly forced the withdrawal of Tino Livramento,” an England team statement read.

“Arrangements are now being made for the Chelsea defender to make the journey to the team’s base camp in Kansas City, while the rest of the squad will head to Dallas, Texas for the Three Lions’ opening group fixture against Croatia on Wednesday.

“Newcastle United defender Livramento picked up a calf injury in training on Sunday afternoon.

“A subsequent scan and medical assessment on Monday unfortunately confirmed he could play no further part in England’s tournament.”

Meanwhile, England fans face having flags confiscated when they attend their opening game at Dallas Stadium.

The England Supporters Club (ESC) is understood to have been advised by stadium officials that fans will not be allowed to hang flags over the LED advertising boards that surround the pitch, with only small flags to be allowed into the ground, which must be hung on rails behind the goals.

The ESC has arranged for several large banners and flags to be displayed behind the goals, but casual supporters attempting to bring a flag into the ground are likely to have them confiscated.

Fifa sources said the ban on hanging flags over LED signage was due to “safety and security reasons”.

A number of Dutch and Japanese fans had flags confiscated at Dallas Stadium when attending the 2-2 draw on Sunday, but there have been no issues bringing them in at other grounds.

Fifa’s tournament guide for fans states: “Small flags, banners and posters made of a fire-resistant material are allowed in the stadium. Larger flags, banners, posters or instruments must be approved in advance.”

Fifa also prohibits flags “that are of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature” and on Monday won a court hearing in Los Angeles to prevent Iran supporters from taking the pre-revolutionary flag into their matches, classifying it as a political symbol.

Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, who was at the first game in Dallas, complained of a lack of consistency in enforcing Fifa’s guidelines. “You were not really allowed to bring a flag in, or at least to show it, which is inconsistent with most Fifa rules and regulations, but also what was allowed at previous tournaments,” Evain said. “Most of the flags were removed by the staff.

“At a lot of the stadiums it hasn’t been a problem, so it’s hard to understand what is the actual policy and what is improvisation by the staff locally with the rules that they now have. The broader problem – and I think it’s a demonstration of how much Fifa has little control over this tournament – is that there’s no consistent rule, and when you look at what Fifa has published, there’s a code of conduct that is very broad.

“But it never clarified a lot of things, like what sort of symbols are allowed and not allowed? Are you able to bring a flag of your region or city or club? A lot of this is still up in the air, and I think there’s a bit of learning by the venues, but also, again, inconsistency.”

Additional reporting: Guardian