The full squad is due to be announced on Thursday November 10th, but news has emerged that James won't be making it to Qatar.
The fullback has failed to recover in time from a knee injury sustained nearly a month ago against AC Milan in the Champions League.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that James won't be included in the squad despite his best efforts to get back to full fitness.
Fellow Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell (25) will also miss out after suffering a hamstring injury against Dinamo Zagreb.
Southgate now faces a major selection dilemma in defence, with James and Chilwell both out and Kyle Walker (32) facing a race against time to return to fitness ahead of the tournament.
England's first match in the competition is against Iran on the 29th November.
