Countries taking part in the 2026 Fifa World Cup had to submit their final 26-player squads by Monday, 1 June, with Fifa confirming those lists on Tuesday, 2 June.
From that moment, changes are only allowed in two specific situations. One is when a player suffers a serious injury or illness; in that case, a replacement can be registered up to 24 hours before the team’s first match.
England defender Tino Livramento, for example, withdrew from Thomas Tuchel’s squad the day before their opener against Croatia after getting injured in training, and Trevoh Chalobah was promoted from the stand‑by list to take his place.
Scotland also altered their squad 12 days after Steve Clarke’s original announcement when Napoli’s Billy Gilmour was injured during a friendly win over Curaçao. Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher was called up to replace him.
South Korea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Ivory Coast, Sweden, Austria and DR Congo have likewise made changes to their initial final squads.
After the 24‑hour cut-off, no further changes are permitted to outfield players. The only exception is for goalkeepers, who can be replaced at any time during the tournament if they suffer a serious injury or illness.
Final squads must include between 23 and 26 players, with at least three goalkeepers. Like many teams, England and Scotland opted for 26 and named three keepers.
This piece comes from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.