The Thomas Tuchel era officially begins for England when they host Albania in a 2026 World Cup qualifier tonight.
The former Chelsea boss steps into the Wembley dugout for the first time as Three Lions head coach having taken up the reins in January after being appointed as Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor three months earlier.
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Lee Carsley had been in temporary charge of England since Southgate ended his eight-year reign at the helm following an agonising defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin last summer, leading them to promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League before returning to his role as Under-21s manager.
Now Tuchel has his sights firmly fixed on achieving World Cup glory in North America next summer, setting out on that road this evening with their first qualifier against Albania in a Group K that also includes Latvia - who visit Wembley on Monday night- as well as Serbia and Andorra.
Plenty of excitement has greeted a new era for England, though the new boss - without Chelsea’s Cole Palmer due to injury - has sprung no shortage of selection surprises with his first squad including a return to the international fold for both Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford.
How to watch England vs Albania
TV channel: In the UK, England vs Albania is being shown live and free-to-air on ITV1 with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT ahead of a 7:45pm kick-off.
Live stream: You can also watch the action live online via ITVX, which is free with a registration.
Live blog: Follow the game as it happens with Standard Sport’s live match blog, featuring expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick, Malik Ouzia and Dom Smith at Wembley.
