The Thomas Tuchel era begins tonight for the Three Lions as the new head coach makes his bow in the dugout. It has been five months since the former Chelsea manager was confirmed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor and almost three months since he officially started in the role. This evening, World Cup 2026 qualifying begins with Tuchel at the helm.
Tuchel has already made a few bold selection calls in his first squad, with Jordan Henderson coming back in from the cold and Marcus Rashford getting a chance to impress despite enduring largely a season of struggle. Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly are in contention to make their debuts, while Morgan Rogers is expected to make his first start tonight and Kyle Walker appears to have done enough to start at right-back.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale have already been left out of tonight’s matchday squad, with only 23 of the 26 able to be included, but remain in contention to face Latvia in the second home qualifier on Monday evening. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick, Malik Ouzia and Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium.
England vs Albania latest news
Welcome
17:12 , Alex Young
Good evening and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the 2026 World Cup qualifier between England and Albania.
You may have noticed, but it is also Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge as England head coach.
Tuchel will have welcomed what should prove a routine first proper day in his new role as the Three Lions’ begin their journey to next year’s World Cup.
Kick-off at Wembley is at 7.45pm GMT. Stick with us.
