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England face Serbia in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at Wembley Stadium today.
The hosts have already qualified for next summer's tournament, but tonight's opponents are at risk of missing out.
Thomas Tuchel has overseen six England wins from six in this qualifying campaign as momentum builds ahead of the World Cup.
After a light show and firework display that wouldn't look out of place at next summer's World Cup opening ceremony, the players emerge onto the pitch at Wembley.
The two national anthems will follow — starting with Serbia's — then 90 minutes of qualifying fun.
England have, of course, already qualified but there is plenty on the line for their opponents who are at real risk of missing out.
With just one more camp remaining, this could have been a chance for Tuchel to experiment, especially as qualification is done. But he has remained loyal to the players who have served him so well so far, making it difficult for those watching on in hope to think they still have a chance.
A lot can change in terms of injuries and form, but it definitely seems he knows the majority of his squad already and he is not playing his cards too close to his chest. I think that is fantastic, because that shows there is an idea, a plan, and he has total faith in what he wants to achieve.
You have to be a brave man to take on England fans — but Thomas Tuchel is a straight talker.
The England manager did not hold back when he criticised the atmosphere created at Wembley by England fans during their 3-0 victory against Wales in the last international break, telling ITV Sport:
💬 “We were 3-0 up very quickly, but we could have been four- or five-zero up at half time. It was very, very good.
“When we couldn’t score the fourth one, the fifth one, the stadium was silent. Silent.
“We never got any energy back from the fans and I think the players delivered a lot to get more from the fans, so it was difficult to keep everything going in the second half.”
Let that be a message to the home supporters tonight!
‘Let’s Get Loud’ is blaring over the speakers here at Wembley.
Wonder if Thomas Tuchel had a word with the pre-match DJ in an attempt to make another hint to quiet England fans…
Thomas Tuchel has said the onus is on his England team to ignite the atmosphere by pressing Serbia high at Wembley in their last home match of 2025.
England return to Wembley Stadium today for their first home game since Tuchel said he was “underwhelmed” by the home support in England’s 3-0 friendly win against Wales.
“It’s always up to us,” the head coach said at his pre-match press conference at Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground on Wednesday. “I think we did it in the last match. We will try to do it again.”
The message from the England defender is clear — England are not about to let up even though they have already qualified for next summer’s World Cup.
Here’s what he told ITV:
💬 “We spoke last time after we qualified and it was on to thinking about these games we have now. We don’t want to take our foot off the gas, we need to keep improving and have that winning mentality.
“It’s a difficult one. With how they play, a new manager. They will bring things that are different from previous games. We know they are fighting for something so important for their country. We want to stick to our task and get the job done again.”
A group of kids just walked past me on Olympic Way cheerfully singing ‘Everywhere we go’.
Evidently spirits remain undimmed by the soft but persistent rain here in north-west London.
The driver of the ice cream van is probably pushing his luck though.
The England manager has been speaking to ITV ahead of tonight’s match… Here’s what he had to say:
💬 “We have some options so maybe we have to make some tough decisions in the summer (on selection).
“I just love the players and the group, the mentality of the players is everything I hoped for. We stepped up since the September camp and it was a nice surprise. We demanded it, we wanted it. It was a surprise but not a surprise.
“Performance will always be rewarded so let's see what happens.”
Thomas Tuchel has said that Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane will not all be able to play together in England’s current structure. Only one, Kane, starts tonight.
The head coach has pin-pointed the number 10 role for Bellingham, whereas Foden has been given what Tuchel calls a “9-10ish” or “9 and a half” position behind presumptive striker Kane.
Tuchel last week ruled out moving Foden onto the wing, as former head coach Gareth Southgate often used to do, and opined on the trio speaking on TalkSport on Wednesday.
💬 “At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play. They can, but not in the structure.
“Not for the balance we developed, and not for structure which comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine.”
The World Cup qualifying win against Latvia was Jordan Pickford’s ninth clean sheet in a row for England, breaking the national team’s record for a goalkeeper.
The previous mark of seven had been set firstly by Gordon Banks, with the last of those games being the 1966 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina at Wembley, which England won 1-0.
Pickford then equalled Banks’ record in 2021, with his final clean sheet of that run coming in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 against Ukraine.
But following the shutout against in a friendly against Wales five days before playing Latvia, Pickford has held the record outright and will be eager to extend it further against Serbia tonight.
The other interesting selection is that Nico O'Reilly makes his England debut at left-back.
This is one of the most open spots in the team ahead of the World Cup. Tuchel has used Djed Spence, Tino Livramento and Myles Lewis-Skelly there in recent months. How will O'Reilly do tonight?
The most interesting thing about the team for tonight's game is that Morgan Rogers continues as no. 10.
He's started the last three games for England and has done well enough to keep his place.
That means Jude Bellingham is on the bench. That might be surprising to some but I think it is consistent with everything Thomas Tuchel has said. He's spoken a lot about rewarding players who have played well. To bring Bellingham straight back in might have felt like it was going against that policy.
While Thomas Tuchel doesn't have a completely spotless record as England manager — his seven wins lie alongside that sole defeat in a friendly against Senegal on June 10 — a win record of 87.5 per cent is pretty impressive.
Even though qualification is already secured, there will be no hint of complacency or resting on laurels.
Tuchel and England will be as keen as ever to defend his unbeaten record in competitive fixtures as long as possible and continue building confidence and momentum with a win today.
Thomas Tuchel has opened the door to staying on as England manager beyond next summer’s World Cup, saying he is “very happy” and “re-energised” with his tenure so far.
Tuchel, who is more than halfway through his 18-month contract, which began in January 2025 and runs through to the 2026 World Cup, was asked at a press conference on Friday if there was a part of him which wanted to stay on.
💬 “Yes there is. It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of fun. Especially since we’re on track in the last two camps. It was from the start. There’s nothing to announce at the moment, but I am very happy with the way things are going.
“(The FA) is quite happy with the way things are. That is just today, I have to prove myself again from Monday, I have to prove myself from here, the rest will take care of itself.”
In the end, it was obvious. Jude Bellingham is back in the England squad, as if he had never been away.
But now that England have shown they can succeed without the 22-year-old — victorious in all four games without him across two windows — the onus is on him to prove he can “contribute” to continuing that winning energy.
Ultimately, the job for Bellingham is to fit back into the group ethos, which is now stronger than ever. To keep that success rolling, to show the team ethic comes before any individual.
As Tuchel said: “The message is now: ‘Make sure you keep this thing going, and accelerate the thing… we are building something. We are super excited you are back but the message is: contribute to it’.”
He will have to contribute from the bench this evening.
So, no way straight back into the starting XI for Jude Bellingham — he is part of an England bench that looks like this:
Here is the starting XI that Thomas Tuchel has gone with for tonight's game:
It might seem like a knee-jerk reaction to call for Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, 34, to earn an England recall on the back of six goals in his last six Premier League games.
After all, international selection isn’t solely about picking in-form players — it’s about creating a cohesive group — and it’s been seven years since Welbeck’s last England cap.
Welbeck is probably in the best form of his career. Only Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago have more in the Premier League this season. He is regarded as a good professional, a popular team-mate and a reliable traveller.
More importantly, of course, he would be a useful plan B, and also a decent tactical option if England need discipline in advanced positions.
One thing which probably concerns most England fans is the lack of backup for star player and captain Harry Kane.
There is no doubt at all that Kane, his country's record goalscorer with 76 goals from 110 caps, is one of the best finishers in world football. But he is also 33 next July and has been dogged by several injuries in the last few years.
What if he is injured, ill or unfit at the World Cup? As Rob Tanner outlined here, the most recent deputies in Dom Solanke, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins are injured, in Saudi Arabia and painfully out of form.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Wilson and Liam Delap aren't scoring regularly in the Premier League; Jarrod Bowen, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford are better out wide.
In the latest squad, Rashford and Bowen are the only players who could moonlight up front. For now, that is enough for Tuchel.