Thomas Tuchel has revealed his feelings regarding England's qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup as he prepares for his first game in charge
15:57, 13 Dec 2024
England head coach Thomas Tuchel answers questions at a press conference at Wembley
England head coach Thomas Tuchel has shared his feelings about the 2026 World Cup(Image: PA Wire)
Thomas Tuchel has learned his opening fixtures as the new England manager as the 2026 World Cup qualifying groups were announced.
The Three lions will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in their path to the World Cup in two years. Placed in Group K, Tuchel will now be looking ahead to these qualifying fixtures as he hopes to impress in his new role.
Most of the teams in the group will be familiar faces to England fans. They played Serbia in their opening group stages match in the Euro 2024. The Three Lions have beaten both Albania and Andorra before in World Cup qualifying but have never played Latvia. The first fixture in the group will be played in March next year.
READ MORE: Luke Littler fumes 'bring back Dave' after Andre Onana's Europa League howler
READ MORE: Man Utd's free-kick routine that led to equaliser was inspired by former hero
The Daily Star joins Bluesky as we Make Social Media Fun Again
Come and join The Daily Star on Bluesky, the social media site set up by ex-Twitter boss Jack Dorsey. It's now the new go-to place for content after a mass exodus of the Elon Musk-owned Twitter/X.
Fear not, we're not leaving Twitter/X, but we are jumping on the bandwagon. So come find our new account on https://bsky.app/profile/dailystar.co.uk, and see us social better than the rest.
You can also learn more about The Daily Star team in what Bluesky calls a “Starter Pack”.
So what are you waiting for?! Let's M.S.M.F.A (Make Social Media Fun Again)
In England's most recent World Cup qualifying group, they topped it without losing a single game. The final game from that group saw England thrash San Marino 10-0 away from home. Looking ahead to their 2025 matchups, Tuchel said it was a priority to qualify.
He told Sky Sports: "I have huge respect for Serbia and for Albania, they can always surprise [you]. They have a strong history of technical football, emotional crowds, two legends as managers.
Thomas Tuchel was announced as England manager in October
Thomas Tuchel was announced as England manager in October(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Don't miss a thing with football updates!
Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news? Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star Football email newsletter!
From the latest transfer news to breaking stories, get it all in your email inbox.
How do you sign up?
It only takes a matter of seconds.
Simply click on this link, then provide your email address and that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories.
You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, right here
"England have never played Latvia so it's a new experience for all of us and we have Andorra where we are huge favourites. But we have to qualify, this is the most important. There cannot be any other approach that take it seriously and with respect."
Article continues below
Although the former Chelsea boss was announced as the new England manager in early October, he hasn't officially started the job yet. The FA chief executive Mark Bullingham had stated that the German's sole focus was on the 2026 World Cup. He would let interim boss Lee Carsley to play out the remaining UEFA Nations League games.
Tuchel officially starts on January 1st 2025. Heading into the new year with a clean slate, and a recharged battery after leaving Bayern Munich last June, the new England manager will be set to take the Three Lions to North America in 2026.