ESPN
Dec 13, 2024, 06:49 AM ET
England have been drawn against Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group.
The European qualifying groups were drawn in Zurich on Friday as teams discovered their possible route to the tournament which is to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel was in Switzerland in his first formal appearance since taking the job, despite not officially starting until Jan. 1.
The draw consists of six groups of four and six groups of five nations. Teams will face each other home and away throughout next year.
The eight teams who are taking part in the UEFA Nations League (NL) quarterfinals were automatically placed in Pot 1, along with England, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria.
The teams in the NL quarterfinals will have their groups decided by the outcome of those matches. The winner will be placed in one group, and the loser in another.
Northern Ireland were drawn in Group A against Slovakia, Luxembourg and the winner of Germany or Italy, who face each other in the NL quarterfinals.
Scotland will face the loser of the NL clash between Portugal and Denmark as well as Greece and Belarus.
Wales boss Craig Bellamy will take on Belgium, North Macedonia and Kazakhstan in his first World Cup qualifying games as coach.
