Ivan Toney’s career looked in grave danger a few years ago when he was handed an eight-month betting ban.
After a 20-goal season for Brentford, he was found guilty of 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules.
That suspension was handed down in May of 2023. Three years later, he’s in the England team for the World Cup.
Toney’s selection has been reported by multiple outlets, including The Athletic, which called it a “huge shock.”
“Toney’s inclusion is a huge shock because he has not played for England under Tuchel since a brief cameo in last year’s defeat to Senegal in June 2025,” The Athletic’s Jay Harris writes. “The 30-year-old has gone under the radar slightly since he left Brentford in August 2024 but has been in exceptional form for Al Ahli. He has scored 32 goals in as many appearances in the Saudi Pro League this season.”
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It is worth noting that Thomas Tuchel has called up Toney multiple times since his return from that ban.
Toney was in the squad for the 2024 European Championships, when he assisted on a Harry Kane winner in extra time in the Round of 16. He also made his penalty when England advanced past Switzerland in a shootout.
“He might not play a lot but he is a wildcard Tuchel can pull in emergency circumstances,” Harris wrote.
The reality for Toney is that playing in the Saudi Pro League has taken him mostly off the radar. Tuchel was clearly watching, though.
And no matter what league a striker is in, scoring goals is the meal ticket. Toney has scored a goal per game this season for Al Ahli, and that was evidently enough to allow him to don the Three Lions crest again.
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