England launch their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Albania in their Group K opener at Wembley on Friday, March 21 at 7.45pm (GMT).
Thomas Tuchel begins life in charge of the Three Lions, whom he has been tasked to lead to World Cup glory in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.
The German will hope to hit the ground running with a statement performance, with fans able to watch the action unfold on ITV.
England to Win & Under 3.5 Goals (10/11 with Sky Bet)
Despite their recent poor form, Albania haven’t shipped more than three goals in their last thirty-four games, since their 5-0 defeat against England back in 2021. At 10/11, taking England to win the game and under four goals being scored looks a nice way into the game. The Three Lions have only scored more than three goals once in their last 23 matches, while Albania’s last nine matches have all seen Under 3.5 goals land.
Harry Kane to score a brace (4/1 with Sky Bet)
England’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 103 caps, Kane is likely to retain the captain’s armband and lead out his team under former boss Tuchel, who he briefly worked with at Bayern Munich.
The 31-year-old generally thrives at Wembley, where he has scored 11 times in the Three Lions’ last eight competitive internationals.
That includes a hat-trick in England’s most recent meeting with Albania in November 2021, when his side ran out comfortable 5-0 winners.
How both teams go into England vs Albania
England begin what they ultimately hope will be the journey to World Cup glory in 16 months’ time.
England vs Albania Odds
| England vs Albania | All odds with BetMGM | ||
| Win-Draw-Win Market | Home Win | Draw | Away win |
| Match Odds | 1/6 | 6/1 | 16/1 |
| Both Teams to Score | BTTS – Yes | – | BTTS – No |
| Match Odds | 7/4 | – | 2/5 |
| Over/Under | Over 2.5 Goals | – | Under 2.5 Goals |
| Match Odds | 8/13 | – | 5/4 |
Despite a surprise defeat by Greece, interim boss Lee Carsley successfully steered the Three Lions to Nations League promotion back into League A with five wins from six games.
However, he has subsequently returned to his role with the under-21s to make way for Tuchel, who only the third non-English coach after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello to take charge of the national side.
By contrast, Albania’s Nations League campaign saw them relegated to League C, after finishing bottom of Group B1.
The Red and Blacks now turn their attention towards qualifying for the World Cup finals for the first time ever.
Sylvinho’s side will certainly fancy their chances of claiming second place in Group K, having qualified for two of the last three editions of the European Championship.
England team news
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson, James Trafford
Defenders: Kyle Walker, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Levi Colwill, Tino Livramento, Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah, Myles Lewis-Skelly
Midfielders: Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Curtis Jones, Morgan Gibbs-White, Morgan Rogers
Forwards: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon, Dominic Solanke.
Albania team news
Albania are likely to be marshalled by 89-cap skipper Elseid Hysaj in the heart of defence.
AEK Athens’ Thomas Strakosha generally keeps goal for the Red and Blacks, while Inter’s Kristjan Asllani could provide youth in midfield.
England vs Albania head-to-head
All six of the previous meetings between the nations also came in World Cup qualifiers. England prevailed on each occasion, while they have only conceded a single goal in the history of the fixture.
| England vs Albania H2H | |||||||
| Date | Score | Competition | |||||
| November 12, 2021 | England 5-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifiers | |||||
| March 28, 2021 | Albania 0-2 England | World Cup Qualifiers | |||||
| September 5, 2001 | England 2-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifiers | |||||
| March 28, 2001 | Albania 1-3 England | World Cup Qualifiers | |||||
| April 26, 1989 | England 5-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifiers | |||||