Ben Chilwell has set his ambitions on being part of the England squad for the 2026 World Cup, just a year after being sidelined as part of Chelsea’s infamous ‘Bomb Squad’.

The Champions League victor found himself sidelined by head coach Enzo Maresca when he returned from a six-month stint at Crystal Palace. Chilwell, along with teammates like Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja, was informed that he didn’t figure into Maresca’s future plans for the team.

At 28, Chilwell faced challenges as he was overshadowed by fellow left-back Marc Cucurella, especially after grappling with serious ACL and hamstring injuries throughout 2021 and 2022.

Despite these setbacks, the former England player is determined to push his limits and aims to join forces with ex-Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel next summer in North America, as he shared in a recent interview.

“Imagine the story of going to the World Cup after being written off by the bomb squad just 12 months earlier,” Chilwell expressed to BBC Sport.

Ben Chilwell is preparing to challenge for a place in the England squad at the 2026 World Cup

Chilwell won the Champions League under England manager Thomas Tuchel and is keen to remind him of his impressive best

“For me, it would be a huge ‘I told you so’ moment to many doubters, which fuels my motivation. Chelsea was upfront with me, and there’s no hard feelings, but naturally, I have pride, and proving people wrong would be immensely satisfying.”

Chilwell admitted that his chances were slim, despite the 21 senior caps that he has earned playing for his country since his senior debut, but added that that only fueled his fire. 

‘Probably 99 out of 100 people are saying, “no, he’s not going, and it is impossible to go to the World Cup”,’ he continued. 

But Chilwell revealed that he had spoke to his former manager, the current England boss, about his chances, and that Tuchel had only encouraged him to give everything to his performances this season. 

‘We’ve had conversations since he’s got the job at England,’ Chilwell, who last featured for England in a March 2024 friendly, added. ‘I’ll try and word it right – it has been said that it’s not out of the equation.’

Chilwell also shed light on his decision to move to Chelsea’s sister club, rather than a Premier League rival. 

The defender is thought to have been courted by English sides including Everton and Palace, with a view to extending his time at the latter club, but shared that he had been convinced by the project in Ligue 1. 

‘It was my decision. I had other clubs that had no links to Chelsea, and I chose to come here because of the conversation with the manager,’ he confirmed.  

The 28-year-old is thought to have been courted by his loan side Crystal Palace this summer but ultimately plumped for a move to France

‘My relationship with the owners has never been bad. They’ve always rang or messaged. They go to a lot of Strasbourg games, we’re cool and we’ll give each other a hug. The only thing you can ask for as a footballer is honesty.’

On that theme, Chilwell also added that he had no bad blood towards Maresca for his own openness about his future in west London. 

“I’ve never had anything against Enzo Maresca,’ Chilwell stressed. ‘I told everyone how much I respected the fact that he was honest, because at least then I could just go, “all right, cool, I’m not wanted”.’ 

Strasbourg currently sit fifth in the Ligue 1 standings, but it will be their travails in the Uefa Conference League that will see Chilwell have a quick reunion with a former side, as his team welcomes Palace on Thursday evening.