Why Is Jude Bellingham Not Playing for England in September?

England are without one of their star players for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.

Jude Bellingham has been absent at the start of the 2025–26 season. | Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Thomas Tuchel will be forced to navigate England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers without one of his stars, as Jude Bellingham is currently out of action.

The Three Lions have embarked on their “win at all costs” journey with Tuchel at the helm, but the UEFA Champions League-winning coach hasn’t yet done enough to convince the sceptical masses.

England won their first three World Cup qualifying fixtures, but performances and results have so far failed to manifest a distinct shift from the previous regime. In June, they followed up a flat 1–0 win over the lowly Andorra with a shocking 3–1 defeat at home to Senegal.

Tuchel’s side will be expected to cruise through the qualification campaign but it is not a schedule without some difficulties. The Three Lions face a particularly tricky assignment away to Serbia this month. Win in Belgrade next Tuesday and the Football Association will be thinking about travel plans across the Atlantic Ocean for next summer’s World Cup.

However, England will have to secure a result against Serbia without Bellingham, who is absent from Tuchel’s squad this month. Here’s why.

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Why Jude Bellingham Isn’t Playing for England in September World Cup Qualifiers

Bellingham was a major reason why England reached the Euro 2024 final. | Stu Forster/Getty Images

Bellingham’s nagging injury dates back to his debut season pomp at Real Madrid. The all-action midfielder dislocated his left shoulder back in November 2023 during a goalless draw with Rayo Vallecano.

He played through the pain as Madrid claimed a La Liga and Champions League double in 2023–24, but the issue continued to linger throughout a less successful 2024–25 campaign. The decision was eventually taken, after Los Blancos relinquished their domestic crown to Barcelona and were humbled in Europe by Arsenal, that Bellingham would finally undergo surgery.

The operation was performed successfully in mid-July, after he returned from the Club World Cup, and the midfielder is yet to feature at the start of the new season.

As a result, he couldn’t be called upon by Tuchel for England’s upcoming qualifiers. Instead, the German has selected Elliot Anderson for the first time and surprisingly welcomed AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek back into the fold after a seven-year absence from the national team.

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When Jude Bellingham Will Return From Injury

Real Madrid gave no official timeline for Bellingham’s return after the surgery was successfully performed, although some Spanish outlets suggested he would be out for around three months.

While an exact return date still can’t be deciphered, Bellingham is expected to make his comeback at some point in October. The Englishman will miss Madrid’s busy September schedule, which includes two Champions League fixtures against Marseille and Kairat Almaty, and the Madrid derby in La Liga, but he’ll be pushing to be back in and around next month’s international break.

Madrid’s No. 5 will desperately want to be available for the first Clásico of the season, scheduled for Oct. 26.

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