Three Lions Conclude Unbeaten Qualifying Campaign in Tirana
England's national football team travels to Tirana for their final FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying match against Albania this Sunday, aiming to protect their pristine record. Thomas Tuchel's squad has already secured their place in the tournament with two games to spare, boasting an unblemished run of victories and not conceding a single goal throughout the entire campaign.
The team arrives in the Albanian capital fresh from a 2-0 victory over Serbia at Wembley Stadium. The goals in that decisive match came from the Arsenal duo of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze, continuing their impressive form. This fixture is a repeat of the March encounter at Wembley, which marked Tuchel's first game in charge and resulted in another 2-0 win for the Three Lions, sealed by a debut goal from Myles Lewis-Skelly and one from captain Harry Kane.
Match Details: How and When to Watch
The crucial qualifier is scheduled for Sunday, 16 November 2025. The action kicks off at 5 PM GMT (6 PM local time) at the Arena Kombetare in Tirana. For fans in the UK, the match will be broadcast live and free-to-air on ITV1. Alternatively, viewers can stream the entire game online via the ITVX platform.
Team News and Predicted Line-Up
The England camp has dealt with several withdrawals ahead of this fixture. Goalkeeper Nick Pope, winger Anthony Gordon, and defender Marc Guehi, who is suffering from significant bone bruising on his foot, all pulled out of the squad before the Serbia game. They have been joined by Ezri Konsa, who has been ruled out with a calf injury.
With qualification secured, all attention turns to Tuchel's team selection as he fine-tunes his squad for next summer's World Cup. Jude Bellingham made a strong impression after coming on as a substitute for Morgan Rogers against Serbia and is likely to be promoted to the starting eleven. Similarly, Phil Foden, who played in an advanced role supporting Harry Kane, is expected to feature prominently again.
Predicted England line-up: Pickford; James, Quansah, Stones, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
