Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
England will play Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in Thomas Tuchel’s first games in charge as the road to World Cup 2026 begins
Independent Premium
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
England will play Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in World Cup 2026 qualifying, in what will be Thomas Tuchel’s first games in charge after replacing Gareth Southgate.
The Three Lions, who were among the top seeds for the qualifying draw, were placed in the five-team Group K. First place in each group automatically secures a spot at the finals – in Canada, Mexico and the United States – in 18 months.
Many of the groups are not yet complete and will depend on the outcome of the Nations League quarter-finals, which will be played in March.
Scotland will play the loser of the tie between Portugal and Denmark, along with Greece and Belarus in the four-team Group C
Wales will once again take on Belgium, as well as North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein in the five-team Group J.
Northern Ireland will meet the winners of Germany and Italy’s quarter-final, as well as Slovakia and Luxembourg in the four-team Group A .
Meanwhile the Republic of Ireland will face the winner of Portugal and Denmark’s quarter-final, as well as Hungary and Armenia in the four-team Group F.
Qualifying runs from late March 2025 through to mid-November, with play-offs for those who need them being played out in March 2026.
Follow the live blog for the 2026 World Cup qualifying groups below:
Group A: Winner of Germany vs Italy, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg.
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.
Group C: Loser of Portugal vs Denmark, Greece, Scotland, Belarus.
Group D: Winner of France vs Croatia, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.
Group E: Winner of Spain vs Netherlands, Turkiye, Georgia, Bulgaria.
Group F: Winner of Portugal vs Denmark, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.
Group G: Loser of Spain vs Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia & Herzegovenia, Cyprus, San Marino.
Group I: Loser of Germany vs Italy, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Lavia, Andorra.
Group L: Loser of France vs Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.
Wales head coach Craig Bellamy was happy to have been placed in a group of five alongside regular recent foes Belgium, plus North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
“It gets the competition going really quick, so that’s a real positive,” he said.
“It’s a good group, but we’re going to have to do our homework really well and hopefully try and attack it and finish top of the group.”
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill welcomed the fact his side’s campaign would not begin until the autumn, when they take on either Germany or Italy, plus Slovakia and Luxembourg.
“The four-team groups suit us as a smaller nation and it gives us a lot of time to prepare,” he told the BBC.
“The June fixtures are difficult for us, because we have so many players who play in the EFL and their season finishes so early, like May 5 or 6, and you’re asking lots (of players) to play in internationals sometimes on June 10 or 11. So not having that challenge is a good thing for us.
“We always tend to play our best football in September, October, November, as the Nations League has shown, so we’ll be ready for when the games come around in September.”
The World Cup qualifying draw pitted Scotland against Greece, who they must also face in a two-leg Nations League promotion-relegation play-off in March, plus the beaten team in the Portugal v Denmark Nations League quarter-final and Belarus.
Asked about the prospect of playing the same opponents four times in one year, head coach Steve Clarke told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We can treat both a little bit differently.
“We’ll get to know each other very well I think, so you might find that (by the time of) the World Cup qualifiers, we tend to know each other a little bit better and maybe (they will be) cagey games.
“But you never know in football, it’s very difficult to gauge how it’s going to be.”
Thomas Tuchel will hold talks at St George’s Park next month with Lee Carsley, who took interim charge for England’s Nations League campaign in the autumn.
“We will work from January at St George’s and I hope it will become very regular that we will meet and very normal that we meet,” said the incoming England boss.
“Of course we will exchange (ideas) because I’m interested in his point of view about the (squad selection for) the games, about the potential in the group and how he felt about the group and the experiences.
“He is the under-21 coach, so he will be very, very close to me and we have enough time from January.”
New England manager Thomas Tuchel will speak to Ben White and offer the Arsenal defender a “clean start” when he takes charge in the new year.
White has not played for his country since he left England’s 2022 World Cup squad during the Qatar tournament, despite impressing for the Gunners.
Gareth Southgate could not convince the 27-year-old to end his international exile, and White did not return under interim boss Lee Carsley either.
But Tuchel, who attended the World Cup qualifying draw in Zurich before taking charge on January 1, has said he will try to speak to White.
White has not played for his country since leaving England’s World Cup camp two years ago – as Tuchel offered a clean slate
t was a scene that should become infamous, more absurd than anything even witnessed on 2 December 2010.
Fourteen years on, on Thursday 11 December 2024, Fifa’s congress remotely applauded through two “decisions” that acclaimed the hosts of the 2030 and 2034 World Cups: Morocco-Portugal-Spain with three matches in Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay for 2030, and then Saudi Arabia for the tournament four years later.
And that was only the half of it. The tinny applause came from a display of Big Brother-style screens, Fifa president Gianni Infantino standing proudly in front of it. It was an image that somehow represented a devolution from the shock on Sepp Blatter’s face as he read out “Qatar” on that day in 2010.
The decision to hand Saudi Arabia the 2034 tournament was remotely applauded through by Fifa’s congress in ludicrous scenes and Miguel Delaney explains how this Gianni Infantino-led endeavour perfectly encapsulated the depths to which football has sunk
Asked about facing Serbia and Albania, Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live:
“They are always very talented individual players, a very emotional group, a very emotional crowd. So they can always surprise. We have to take this very seriously. It’s a first fixture with Latvia, so a new challenge for all of us.
“And then we are clear favourites, of course, against Andorra, but qualification is key now. Qualification is top priority. We have to be serious. We have to be determined, and we have to show what we’re up for in this group of five.”
Tuchel was asked if he was confident of finishing top of the group, and added: “I don’t see it as a given. The gap closes more and more between the big nations and the small nations. You see it in the Euros lately.
“There are no such thing as results that are already done before the match is played. The smaller nations have become stronger and stronger. So we have to earn our place. We have to earn our top spot.”
Thomas Tuchel’s England have been drawn against Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
The German officially takes over as head coach on 1 January and will take heart from the fact England have never lost to any of the teams they will face on the road to the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Scotland are in a four-team group, and will face whichever team loses the Nations League quarter-final tie between Portugal and Denmark, along with Greece and Belarus.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also found out their fate in European qualifying for the touranment
Pedro Martinez Losa has left his post as Scotland women’s national team boss after failing to qualify for Euro 2025.
The Scottish FA confirmed the decision on Friday morning after the Scots missed out on another major tournament earlier this month, losing 2-0 to Finland in the play-off final second leg after a goalless first leg at Easter Road.
Martinez Losa, who took over as head coach in July 2021, also missed out on the 2023 World Cup via the play-offs.
The Spaniard’s side missed out on a second successive major tournament after a 2-0 playoff defeat to Finland
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
