New England manager Thomas Tuchel says he is looking forward to taking the team away from Wembley Stadium before the 2026 World Cup gets underway.
The Three Lions will face Senegal and Wales this year alongside their qualifiers for the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Nottingham Forest’s City Ground will stage the Senegal match on Tuesday, June 10 – the first time the stadium has hosted the senior men’s team since March 1909.
England will also be in action on Thursday, October 9, when Wales visit Wembley Stadium for a game which will be a warm-up for key World Cup qualifiers.
The fixture is guaranteed to trigger a ton of activity on sportsbooks, with punters likely to be wagering heavily on England to continue their historic dominance over Wales.
Numerous online bingo sites may also be inundated with traffic before switching their attention to the international friendly.
The two nations have met each other 104 times since 1879, and England have recorded 69 wins, 21 draws and 14 defeats against Wales.
They triumphed 3-0 in the last fixture staged at Wembley in 2020 and by the same scoreline during the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
England’s only previous meeting with Senegal was in the last-16 at the same tournament, when goals by Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka secured a 3-0 victory.
Tuchel says he is looking forward to tackling both fixtures and also heading away from Wembley to play at the City Ground.
“The games against Senegal and Wales will present good challenges for us against two very different opponents,” Tuchel said.
“Facing a strong African team in a passionate city with rich football heritage and then a derby match at the iconic Wembley – two big occasions that can only help us on the road to the World Cup.
“While I know Wembley is our home, I also understand the importance of taking the team around the country when we are able to.
“The opportunity to experience playing at a famous old English stadium such as the City Ground is one that we can all look forward to.”
Tuchel has been laying the foundations to guide England into a new era since officially starting as England manager on January 1.
He has reportedly complied a dossier detailing which players he believes are in contention to feature in his first squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel has attended more than 20 live games in England, Germany, Spain and Italy, and has spent time at St Georges’ Park in six of the past seven weeks.
The 51-year-old has spoken with numerous players and on video calls, and has also used the Football Association’s Helix software to keep track of their progress.
The system effectively allows Tuchel to watch games on a widescreen rather than the standard television view, thus replicating the experience of being inside the stadium.
It is an invaluable tool for monitoring players, particularly those who are no longer plying their trade in one of the major European leagues.
For instance, Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney may otherwise have been overlooked after moving to the Saudi Pro League, but he still has the chance to impress Tuchel.
Tuchel’s first task as England manager will be to safely navigate through the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia.
Albania were defeated twice by England during qualification for the 2022 World Cup, but subsequently improved to secure a spot at the 2024 European Championship.
Latvia’s appearance at the 2004 European Championship in Portugal is the only time they have previously qualified for a major tournament.
The Three Lions meeting with Latvia will mark the first-ever encounter between the two teams at senior level. Tuchel’s side are expected to win comfortably.
Serbia will likely be England’s toughest opponents during the qualifiers. The two teams met at Euro 2024 in Germany, with England grinding out a 1-0 win in a hard-fought contest.
England fixtures 2025
- Albania (A) – World Cup qualifier – March 21
- Latvia (H) – World Cup qualifier – March 24
- Andorra (A) – World Cup qualifier – June 7
- Senegal (H) – International friendly – June 10
- Andorra (H) – World Cup qualifier – September 6
- Serbia (H) – World Cup qualifier – September 9
- Wales (H) – International friendly – October 9
- Latvia (A) – World Cup qualifier – October 14
- Serbia (H) – World Cup qualifier – November 13
- Albania (A) – World Cup qualifier – November 16