The FA’s statement, released Monday afternoon, listed the five injured players and named the two midfielders who will replace them for the upcoming three‑week international window.
Rice, Arsenal’s captain, has endured a series of niggling injuries over the past year and will now be rested by his club ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Leeds United on October 10.
Cole Palmer’s withdrawal was first reported by Standard Sport on Monday morning, citing a muscular injury that Chelsea are managing at their Cobham training ground.
England’s Nations League campaign begins on Saturday at Wembley, where they will host the newly crowned World Cup champions Spain, before travelling to Prague to face Czechia on Tuesday and later meeting Croatia in Rijeka and Czechia again at Wembley on October 6.
The three‑week break marks the first combined September‑October international window under FIFA’s revised match calendar, giving national teams a longer uninterrupted period for the six‑game league phase.
The newly called‑up midfielders – Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs‑White and Everton’s James Garner – missed the World Cup squad but have previously earned senior caps for England.
All players joining the squad are scheduled to arrive at the England training base at St George’s Park on Tuesday, where they will begin preparations for the first Nations League fixture.