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England head coach Thomas Tuchel is preparing to unveil a highly anticipated and potentially surprising World Cup squad on Friday, with Phil Foden and Cole Palmer expected to miss out along with a ‘shocked and gutted’ Harry Maguire.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa were greeted by thousands of jubilant supporters during an open-top bus parade through Birmingham city centre to celebrate their Europa League victory.

The ongoing ‘Spygate’ controversy also took a new turn, as the EFL revealed that Southampton had been found guilty of a “deplorable” act of pressuring a junior staff member to spy on Middlesbrough.

Tuchel’s World Cup announcement is expected to contain several surprises, one of which was inadvertently revealed by Maguire himself. The German manager will confirm his 26-man squad for this summer’s campaign in North America at around 10am, after personally calling several players on Thursday.

Reports indicate that Foden and Palmer have been omitted following underwhelming seasons, with England’s depth in attacking midfield further contributing to their exclusion. In-form Morgan Gibbs-White is also said to have missed out on selection.

These updates emerged steadily through Thursday afternoon and evening, though final confirmations are awaited. Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney is among those reportedly included in the final squad.

Maguire, who earned his first call-up under Tuchel in March and featured in both friendlies, expressed his disappointment on social media. He wrote, “I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best this summer.”

Thousands of Aston Villa fans filled the streets as players celebrated their Europa League triumph. Unai Emery’s side defeated Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday night, ending a three-decade wait for major silverware.

Leading the parade, Emery—who secured his fifth Europa League title—stood proudly at the front of the bus as it travelled through Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter to Branston Street. Fans turned the 4.5km route into a sea of claret and blue, waving flags and lighting flares in celebration.

The parade paused at Centenary Square, where an estimated 23,000 supporters had gathered for the trophy presentation. Addressing the crowd from the bus, Emery dedicated the triumph to the fans, saying, “We are delighted to be here with you, sharing this trophy, we are bringing it for you. This trophy is yours – our heart is your heart, your heart is our heart. We are together – up the Villa.”

In other news, the EFL confirmed Southampton’s culpability in a spying operation authorised by manager Tonda Eckert. The club was found guilty of instructing a junior employee to gather tactical information from Middlesbrough’s training sessions.

The scandal, which has been dubbed ‘Spygate’, led to Southampton’s exclusion from the Championship play-off final and a four-point deduction for next season. The EFL’s official statement described the act as “a contrived and determined plan from the top down to gain a competitive advantage in competitions of real significance by deliberate attendance at opposition training grounds for the purpose of obtaining tactical and selection information.”

The governing body added, “It involved far more than innocent activity and a particularly deplorable approach in its use of junior members of staff to conduct the clandestine observations at the direction of senior personnel.”

Thomas Tuchel is set to officially reveal England’s World Cup squad on Friday morning at 10am, followed by a press conference at Wembley Stadium.