Is England v Albania on TV? How to watch Thomas Tuchel’s first match as World Cup qualifying begins | OneFootball

England begin a new era under Thomas Tuchel as the Three Lions kick off the road to the 2026 World Cup with a qualifier against Albania at Wembley.

Tuchel’s first game in charge comes as England target victory at the 2026 tournament, with the German coach signing an 18-month contract after succeeding Gareth Southgate as manager.

And Friday night’s fixture at Wembley will offer an early look at how Tuchel wants to shape his new England team, following spells in the club game with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

His first squad included recalls for Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson, as well as maiden call-ups for Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly, with Tuchel having the past five days to share his ideas with his new players.

England are in Group K of World Cup qualifying, along with Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra, with the top team qualifying for the World Cup finals.

When is England vs Albania?

The match will kick-off at 7:45pm GMT on Friday 21 March at Wembley Stadium.

How can I watch it?

England vs Albania will be shown live on ITV 1 and ITV X, with coverage getting underway from 7pm.

What is the England team news?

Thomas Tuchel has no time to waste when it comes to shaping his plans for the 2026 World Cup: he has already confirmed that Harry Kane will be his captain and it would be no surprise to see England’s record scorer start alongside Jude Bellingham, with Declan Rice and Jordan Pickford also close to automatic picks.

Tuchel has played with both a back three and back four in his managerial career, but he most recently used a back four at Bayern Munich. There could well be a debutant at left back with Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final hero Dan Burn options.

Marc Guehi is England’s most senior options at centre-back, following injuries to John Stones and Harry Maguire, and he could be partnered by Levi Colwill, or by Burn. Reece James is back in the squad but Kyle Walker could start at right back with Trent Alexander-Arnold injured.

Tuchel will have to decide whether to use Bellingham at No 10 or alongside Declan Rice, with Curtis Jones or Jordan Henderson options to play in a double-pivot and Morgan Gibbs-White, Morgan Rogers or Eberechi Eze under consideration to play further further forward. Tuchel has described former Liverpool captain Henderson as the “glue” in his squad.

On the wings, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford will compete for the spot on the left while injuries to Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer should see Phil Foden play off the right, although Jarrod Bowen is an option. Dominic Solanke has been named as Kane’s back-up at striker.