England will play their final home game of the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers on Thursday when they host Serbia at Wembley Stadium. The Three Lions have already booked their ticket to the United States, Mexico, and Canada, while Serbia are still fighting for a crucial second-place finish under new management.
England’s qualification campaign under Thomas Tuchel could hardly have gone better. The German coach has silenced his early critics by guiding the 1966 World Cup winners safely through Group K, ensuring qualification with two games to spare. England have maintained a perfect record so far, collecting 18 points from six matches, scoring 18 goals, and conceding none.
Their place at next summer’s tournament was sealed last month after a commanding 5-0 win over Latvia, which gave them a seven-point cushion over second-placed Albania. England will face Albania again in their final qualifier on Sunday.
Interestingly, it was the group’s lowest-ranked side, Andorra, who gave Tuchel’s men their toughest challenges. But after two somewhat flat attacking performances against them, England rediscovered their rhythm and have since been ruthless in front of goal.
The Three Lions now head into Thursday’s game aiming for their third straight victory by at least five goals in competitive matches. They are also chasing a fifth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions, following a comfortable friendly win over Wales in October.
On the other side, Serbia arrive in London with plenty at stake. They kept four clean sheets in a row between March and September, but their defensive solidity has since crumbled, conceding seven goals in their last three matches. Six of those came under former coach Dragan Stojkovic, whose tenure ended after a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Albania in October.
Zoran Mirkovic briefly took over and guided the team to a 3-1 comeback win over Andorra, stopping a two-game losing streak. However, Serbia have now turned to Veljko Paunovic, the former Reading and Real Oviedo manager, who will take charge of his first match for the national team at Wembley — a tough introduction for any coach.
Paunovic’s side trail Albania by just one point and remain in contention for a playoff spot. But their hopes could end on Thursday if they lose to England and Albania defeat Andorra, which most expect.
As an independent nation, Serbia have failed to qualify for the World Cup only once — in 2014. However, their destiny is now out of their hands, and they face the daunting task of trying to avenge a heavy 5-0 defeat suffered against England just two months ago.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
England have already begun to experience the usual round of injury setbacks, with Newcastle United pair Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon withdrawing from the squad earlier this week. Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi also remains a major doubt, even though he reported for international duty.
Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford have been called up as replacements for Gordon and Pope. They join a squad that also includes three uncapped players — Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott, and Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly.
Although some supporters might like to see Thomas Tuchel experiment with his lineup now that England have already secured top spot in their group, the coach is still expected to field a strong side on Thursday. Jordan Pickford is set to start in goal and could reach a major milestone by recording his 43rd clean sheet for England, equalling Joe Hart’s tally and moving into second place on the all-time list.
Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are the standout names in this month’s squad, though only Bellingham is likely to break into the starting lineup for the Wembley clash.
For Serbia, new manager Veljko Paunovic faces his first big challenge without the country’s all-time top scorer, Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Al-Hilal striker has been left out of the squad due to an unspecified injury, leaving a huge void in attack. Mitrovic has scored an unmatched 63 goals for Serbia — more than 25 ahead of any other player in the nation’s history.
In his absence, the responsibility will fall on Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic and AC Milan’s Luka Jovic to deliver in front of goal. However, Paunovic may opt to start with only one striker, as he tends to favor a four-man defensive setup rather than the three-at-the-back formations preferred by former coach Dragan Stojkovic.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, Burn; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane
Serbia possible starting lineup:
Petrovic; Mimovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Lukic; Zivkovic, Samardzic, Kostic; Vlahovic
EXPERT PREDICTION
England 2-1 Serbia
