England have made a perfect start to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. They are in Group K of UEFA qualification and have won five out of five. Not all five performances have been impressive, but their 100% record means they are in pole position to qualify.
The 2026 World Cup will take place in Canada, the USA, and Mexico. It starts on 11th June 2026. Because there are now 48 teams involved, it will not finish until 19th July. At the time of writing, 18 teams have already qualified. However, none of those are from Europe.
Only England and Norway have played as many as five games and still have a 100% record. However, with Norway facing Italy in Group I, there is a good chance that England could be the first UEFA team to confirm their place at the 2026 World Cup.
What Next for England?
The last international break has seemingly only just passed. However, the next one is almost upon us, with games scheduled for mid-October. Moreover, there is another international break in November. England will host Serbia on the 13th of November and then travel to Albania on the 16th for their final game of qualifying.
Before that, however, the Three Lions face a friendly against Wales and a qualification clash against Latvia.
2025 Fixtures
- 9th October – England vs Wales (friendly)
- 14th October – Latvia vs England (World Cup qualifier)
- 13th November – England vs Serbia (World Cup qualifier)
- 16th November – Albania vs England (World Cup qualifier)
The clash with Albania will be their final match in Group K. However, there is every chance they will have things sewn up by that stage.
Will Tuchel Experiment Against Wales?
Before England resume their bid to make it through to World Cup 2026, they face a friendly clash against Wales. That will be at Wembley, but there will be lots of support for the away side, who always love to get one over on England.
Wales, managed by Craig Bellamy, are in Group J and have had a mixed time of things. Belgium are expected to top the group, but as things stand, it is North Macedonia, who lead the way on 11 points. However, they, like Wales, have played a game more than Belgium. It looks like it’s a three-way race for the one qualification spot, though. Right now, there is just one point separating them.
Wales host Belgium after this clash. That is probably a must-win game for Bellamy’s men, so it is unclear how they will approach the England fixture. The same is true for the hosts: will Thomas Tuchel seek to build momentum or experiment?
The German is a highly flexible, pragmatic manager. He is not wedded to any one system, formation, or even philosophy. He could use this game to experiment, whether in terms of personnel or tactically. However, with an important game ahead, he will certainly want to keep his best players fresh.
Ultimately, whatever approach the managers take, England’s class should tell. They are by far the better side. They have a vastly superior starting XI and much greater strength in depth. The head-to-head record in the 21st century reads seven games, seven victories for the Three Lions. In that time they have outscored Wales 14-1. Moreover, they have won the last two games between the rivals 3-0. With home advantage, and Wales set to face Belgium next, we predict another comfortable England win here.
Latvia All That Matters
For all that England will want to beat their neighbours, the game that really matters is the one in Riga. Latvia will prepare for the clash with a nice, easy home game against Andorra. They won the reverse fixture 1-0, so they will expect to come into the game against England with another three points on the board.
Latvia cannot qualify, though they can still make the play-offs. However, even that is unlikely, and England should end their hopes of finishing second, as the Three Lions should win in the Latvian capital. Depending on the results in Serbia’s games with Albania and then Andorra, a win here could secure England’s place at the North American World Cup in 2026.
That should be motivation enough for Tuchel’s men to produce the goods. Performances under the German have been mixed. In fact, aside from their last game against Serbia, it is more accurate to say they have been poor.
England have been especially poor against Andorra, winning 3-0 across the two games, which was worse than expected. Fans expected more goals, while the performances in both games were below par. Even though the Three Lions won 3-0 against Latvia at Wembley, they did not really impress. That game was 1-0 until the 68th minute and Tuchel’s troops created little.
However, last time around, their performance made a real statement. The trip to Serbia was supposed to be England’s toughest test. A hostile atmosphere was promised, while the Balkan nation had some exceptional players, including Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus. England made it all too easy, recording their biggest win of qualification. They romped to a 5-0 victory and played some exceptional football.
In truth, the margin of victory could have been greater. There were five different scorers as England amassed 24 shots and 12 on target. It was yet another clean sheet for Jordan Pickford, as he had one of his easier nights in goal. He didn’t face a single shot on target and just three in total.
Doubts were starting to creep in about Tuchel, but things now seem to be falling into place. The game in Serbia was just one match, but if England can back that up with another win against Latvia, expectations for next summer will rise.
Qualification All-But Certain
England will almost certainly earn top spot in Group K and book their place at the 2026 World Cup. They will want to do so with a 100% record, though, and that looks very possible. Right now, England are the third favourites to go all the way in North America. They are priced as a 7/1 shot. Only Spain (9/2) and France (13/2) are more highly regarded by the bookies.
If they can continue to improve under Tuchel, those odds may well shorten. We certainly expect them to beat Wales and Latvia, and the road to the 2026 World Cup looks clear, smooth, and fast for England.
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