ENGLAND have discovered who they will face off against to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The draw taking place in Zurich saw the nations under Uefa jurisdiction learn who they would play in order to qualify for the tournament proper.
AFPEngland and Thomas Tuchel have learned who they will face in World Cup qualifying[/caption]
Tuchel was in attendance in Zurich to discover England’s fate
Robert Pires drew England into Group K
England, who will be led into the tournament by new boss Thomas Tuchel, were in pot one for the draw with the other top ranked nations including France and Spain.
Elsewhere, Wales were in pot two with Scotland and Northern Ireland both in pot three.
And the Three Lions could have landed tricky clashes against nations such as Norway, Sweden and Turkey from pot two, while the likes of Republic of Ireland and Georgia lurked in pot three.
The draw was split into 12 qualifying groups, six groups of four and six groups of five, with a total of 16 Uefa nations competing at the tournament.
With no participation in the Uefa Nations League quarter-finals or promotion-relegation play-off games in March, England were likely to be drawn in a five-team group.
SunSport’s draw simulation placed them in a group with a familiar foe in Wales, while they were also put against Montenegro, Estonia and Andorra.
But in the real draw with Tuchel in attendance, England discovered they were in Group K and their first opponent was Serbia.
Pot three saw them draw Albania, while pot four and five pit them against Latvia and Andorra respectively.
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Serbia and Albania have controversial history behind them, with Uefa slapping Albanian forward Mirlind Daku with a two-game ban for anti-Serbian chants earlier this year.
Uefa also fined Serbia for trying to burn an Albanian flag.
Elsewhere, Wales landed in Group J with Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.
Scotland were put in Group C against the Uefa Nations League losing quarter-finalist between Portugal and Denmark, Greece and Belarus.
Northern Ireland were pit against the winner of Germany or Italy, Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group A.
England’s first games during this campaign will come over the spring international break on March 21-25.
However, the World Cup proper will start on June 11 with Mexico City hosting the opener, while New Jersey will host the final on July 19 following a record 39 day tournament.
The World Cup will also feature a last-32 knockout round for the first time to accommodate the expansion.
World Cup qualifying draw in full
Group A: Winner GER/ITA, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg
Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo
Group C: Loser POR/DEN, Greece, Scotland, Belarus
Group D: Winner FRA/CRO, Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan
Group E: Winner SPA/NED, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria
Group F: Winner POR/DEN, Hungary, Ireland, Armenia
Group G: Loser SPA/NED, Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta
Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino
Group I: Loser GER/ITA, Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova
Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechenstein
Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra
Group L: Loser FRA/CRO, Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar
How will the 2026 World Cup work?
By Martin Lipton
The 2026 World Cup will be something of a logistical nightmare.
Three countries, not one city. In 16 venues, split across four time zones and thousands of miles — rather than the distance between Selhurst Park and Kenilworth Road.
With 48 teams, as opposed to the 32 that has been the norm since 1998. More from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Even, for the first time, a guaranteed slot for Oceania.
And, almost certainly, a record 104 MATCHES and 33 days as well.
It will be 12 groups of four but the real issues are over the next stage.
The easiest way would be the top two in each group, plus the eight best third-place teams, reaching the final 32 and eight games, instead of seven, required to win.
Read all about it here.
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