England handed friendly draw in 2026 World Cup qualifying as Thomas Tuchel era begins
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also found out their fate in European qualifying for the tournament
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Your support makes all the difference.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 draw: 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 the loser of the Nations League quarter-final tie between Portugal and Denmark, along with Greece and Belarus.
Steve Clarke’s men also face Greece in a Nations League promotion-relegation play-off in March.
Wales have drawn Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein as they aim to qualify for a second successive World Cup.
Wales met Belgium in qualifying for the last World Cup, and even more recently in the 2022 Nations League.
They famously beat Belgium 3-1 to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2016, but have not won any of the sides’ subsequent four meetings.
The Republic of Ireland have been drawn against the winner of the Portugal v Denmark Nations League tie, along with Hungary and Romania.
Like Scotland, the Republic face a Nations League promotion-relegation play-off tie in March, in their case against Bulgaria.
Northern Ireland will face either Germany or Italy – each a four-time World Cup winner – plus Slovakia and Luxembourg as they seek to qualify for the first time since 1986.
Latvia will be new opponents at senior level for England, while Andorra were in England’s group for qualifying for Qatar 2022. England won the home encounter 4-0 and scored a 5-0 victory in the return.
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.”
Wales head coach Craig Bellamy was pleased to have been drawn in a five-team group, and to be going back to Belgium, where he worked at Anderlecht as assistant to Vincent Kompany.
“It’s a good group, we’re going to have to do our homework really well, and hopefully try and attack it and finish top of the group,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Qualifying will begin in March for the five-team groups, with four-team groups getting underway in September.
Sixteen European nations will qualify for the finals, which will feature 48 teams for the first time.
The winners of each group qualify automatically, with the runners-up then going into play-offs in March 2026 alongside the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who did not either win their World Cup qualifying group or finish runner-up.
Those play-offs will determine the final four qualifiers from Europe.
2026 World Cup European qualifying draw
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, Turkey, 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-Herzegovina, 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.
PA