Europe’s World Cup 2026 qualifiers get underway this week, and a new chapter opens for England, with head coach Thomas Tuchel taking charge of the Three Lions for the first time.
Following the reign of Gareth Southgate, which promised much and delivered a string of near misses, the FA moved to get in a proven winner. The 51-year-old German coach has won Ligue 1 with PSG, the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich and, most impressively of all, the Champions League with Chelsea and England fans hope he can finally deliver some success to their national team.
A former target for Manchester United, as recently as 2024, Tuchel is the third overseas coach to be appointed by England, following in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello, and he insists he has long felt a connection with his new country, saying: “To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege.”
And now it’s time for the new man to get down to business, starting with a World Cup Group K clash at home to Albania on Friday night. The continent’s 54 football countries will fight for 16 places at the 2026 showcase in North America and Mexico, and the early World Cup 2026 betting odds say the Three Lions will certainly be there. Tuchel’s team has been installed as fourth favourites, behind Spain, Brazil, and France. They have been drawn in Group K alongside Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and minnows Andorra, with the qualifying places likely to go to two from England, Serbia, and Albania.
Tuchel inherits a team which had been relegated to Nations League League B, and so they will start their campaign before the rest of Europe’s big guns, and his first squad has raised a few eyebrows, with the recall of Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, two players who have had strange years to say the least.
In 2023, Henderson was persuaded by his former Liverpool colleague, Steven Gerrard, to head to the Saudi Pro League to play for Al-Ettifaq. He received quite a backlash on social media and lasted just six months before Ajax of Amsterdam offered him an escape route. Now 34, he may have lost some of his pace, but none of his leadership skills on the pitch, and Henderson can do a job as a defencive midfielder.
Meanwhile, striker Rashford, who is still only 27 by the way, has infuriated Manchester United fans by putting in some committed performances since his loan move to Aston Villa in January. In a dysfunctional Red Devils team, Rashford didn’t show much in the way of leadership qualities, but there is no doubting his quality as a forward when he is at his best.
Tuchel has called up some young names for the future, including Aston Villa’s advanced midfielder Morgan Rogers, Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Burnley keeper James Trafford. While the big influencers, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, skipper Harry Kane, and Phil Foden will be the glue which holds Tuchel’s new squad together.
The eyes of the world will be on Wembley on Friday when the Three Lions take on Albania. England come into the game on the back of three wins while their visitors have won just once in five games but they did impress at Euro 2024, drawing with Croatia and losing by the odd goals to both Italy and Spain.
Norway kick off in Moldova
On Saturday 22nd, Stale Solbakken’s Norway kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a match away to Moldova and, in a group which contains Wales, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Georgia, surely they have a chance to qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1998. While Sweden and Denmark, and even Iceland, have graced World and European showcases, Norway have been the poor relations in Scandinavia, but when you look at the current squad, surely something is about to change.
Norway currently sit in 43rd place in the FIFA World Rankings, but that’s about to change. Led by Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, who has been a key component of the Gunners title pushes in recent seasons, Norway have two of the best strikers in world football in their ranks, in Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth. And with the culture of Fulham’s Sander Berge alongside Odegaard in midfield, this is a team which can hurt opponents, starting with Moldova on Saturday.
The qualifiers for the biggest show on earth are already underway in South America and they are about to start in Europe, so keep watching for all your World Cup 2026 highlights right here at SBOTOP.
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