Harry Kane led England to victory against Albania at Wembley as they completed their World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding even once in eight games, thanks to a brace by Tottenham striker Harry Kane – one that ensured England did not concede once at Wembley!
Thomas Strakosh will start in goal as Gareth Southgate shuffles up his squad in an otherwise meaningless fixture. Declan Rice should play midfield while Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka could start on either flank.
| Match | Format | Date / Series | Result / Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latest – Group Match (Albania vs England) | FIFA World Cup Qualifier (UEFA) | Nov 16, 2025 — 2026 World Cup Qualifying | ALB 0 – 2 ENG — England won (ESPN Scorecard | Match Centre) |
| Previous – Group Match (England vs Albania) | FIFA World Cup Qualifier (UEFA) | Mar 21, 2025 — 2026 World Cup Qualifying | ENG 2 – 0 ALB — England won (ESPN Scorecard) |
England
England is represented by their national football team, commonly referred to as the Three Lions. England competes fiercely in World Cup qualifiers while striving for European glory, having enjoyed success like winning 4-2 over West Germany in 1966 final led by Geoff Hurst.
Albania currently ranks 63rd globally according to FIFA and play their home matches at Arena Kombetare in Tirana. They compete in UEFA Nations League Group K alongside England, Latvia and Andorra, showing early signs of competitiveness by recording victories like 3-0 over Andorra and draws such as 1-1 with Serbia.
FotMob provides comprehensive coverage of Albania, with live match updates, statistics, squad information and transfer news all being available to keep fans up-to-date. Follow your team and be part of all the action – England compete in the UEFA Nations League tournament and have twice won it!
GK: Thomas Strakosh
After sealing their World Cup qualifying playoff place with a 2-0 victory against Serbia, England travel to Albania to close out Group K campaign. Thomas Tuchel makes changes for what amounts to an inconsequential match but keeps captain Harry Kane upfront as they aim for another successful qualification campaign for Russia 2018.
Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City takes over at left back from Jordan Pickford after the latter broke a Peter Shilton record against Serbia last time out. John Stones, Nico O’Reilly and Declan Rice will remain among their respective defenders, while Phil Foden could play more advanced roles behind Harry Kane.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka will start on the right flank alongside Eberechi Eze and Jude Bellingham from their supporting squad, while Eberechi Eze and Jude Bellingham from Eberechi Eze’s squad will provide support on either flank. As for other team details: the Three Lions have an undefeated record in Group D having scored 20 goals while conceding none during seven matches played so far this year.
LB: Elseid Hysaj
England are continuing their perfect record in World Cup qualifier Group K after beating Serbia 2-0 on Thursday evening, but without pressure to qualify, changes may be made for their final fixture of this campaign.
Manchester City defender Nico O’Reilly starts on the left side of defence while Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott replaces Ezri Konsa due to injury. Dean Henderson takes over goalkeeping duties from Jordan Pickford who recently broke Peter Shilton’s record of 13 clean sheets by an English goalkeeper against Serbia.
Phil Foden may find himself back on the bench despite his impressive showing as a substitute false nine against Serbia, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane likely to form an attack trio under Tuchel’s watchful eye. Tuchel has noted however, that these players are incompatible with one another within one team unless significant strategic adjustments are implemented by Tuchel.
CM: Berat Djimsiti
Berat Djimsiti plays as a central midfielder for Albania and their national football team, as well as for Benevento and Atalanta in Italy.
The Albanian national football team (Albanian: Kombetarja Shqiptare e Futbollit) represents its country in men’s international association football competition and is controlled by the Football Federation of Albania. As members of UEFA in Europe and FIFA worldwide competitions, its colors – red and black to symbolize Albania’s national flag – represent its colors with Tifozat Kuq e Zi serving as its supporters.
Gareth Southgate took charge as manager in 2017, leading England to finish second in its group and victory against Panama – including an 8-1 scoreline win – before falling in penalties against West Germany in the quarter-finals.
CM: Kristjan Asllani
Kristjan Asllani is a versatile midfielder who can play anywhere across the middle. At 23 years old, Asllani has made professional appearances in Serie A for Empoli and Inter Milan; helping lead them to win 2024’s Serie A crown and second consecutive Supercoppa Italiana victory.
Besiktas in Turkey have signed him as a loan player to add strength and physical resilience to their midfield. Furthermore, he’s regularly featured for Albania at youth levels of competitions.
Discover more about Kristjan Asllani by viewing his FotMob profile, which features detailed statistics, match-by-match ratings, transfer history and personalized notifications about upcoming matches and important events. Follow him to receive personalized alerts when important matches and events take place!
CM: Wazim Lazi
England are one of the most successful national teams ever seen in sports history, having won the 1966 World Cup and finishing runners-up three times since 1990 (in 1990, 2024 and 2010). Furthermore, their highest European Championship finish to date has been fourth – both times being 2010.
England will complete their World Cup qualifying campaign with Albania on Sunday evening at Tirana after winning all seven matches under new manager Thomas Tuchel, scoring 20 goals while conceding just once.
Tuchel will likely use this match as an opportunity to experiment with some of his new combinations, with Jarell Quansah likely making his full debut at right back and Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze moving into central midfield roles – Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane remaining up front for Spurs while several familiar faces will feature for Albania, such as former Burnley striker Armando Broja.
CM: Nadim Bajrani
England’s World Cup qualifying campaign came to a near perfect close when Harry Kane scored twice against Albania in their final qualifying game – a 2-0 victory in Tirana. Manager Thomas Tuchel made wholesale changes for what amounted to an unofficial friendly, keeping only John Stones and Declan Rice from last week’s team that routed Serbia.
Manchester City have chosen Nico O’Reilly at left-back while Dean Henderson will replace Jordan Pickford in goal. Jarrell Quansah and Dan Burn are in defence while Jude Bellingham and Adam Wharton make midfield, plus Jarrod Bowen and Ebereche Eze make attacks.
FotMob allows you to explore Nedim Bajrami in more depth by providing access to his statistics, match ratings, shot map, expected goals (xG) data and shot map. Nedim has played for Rangers and Sassuolo – representing Albania at international level as a player.
CM: Yiber Ramadani
The Three Lions will look to claim their maiden win under Thomas Tuchel on their trip to Albania, facing a team who have yet to score this term. Tuchel, former boss of Borussia Dortmund, has introduced several new players into his squad with Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze in midfield attempting to build a more attacking unit than had existed under Gareth Southgate.
Tirana witnessed an unexpected victory for the old guard as Saka’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Aliji and Kane tucked it past Strakosha to score his 77th international goal, equalling Pele on all-time goalscorers lists.
CM: Ardian Ismajli
The England national football team represents England at men’s international football. Governed by The Football Association, this squad competes in three major tournaments hosted by nations that are FIFA members.
Gareth Southgate will likely use this match against Albania as an opportunity to further his experimentation and explore his options for 2022 World Cup qualifying Group K. The Lions currently lead with 21 points and have one game remaining, so this non-competitive dead rubber is unlikely to affect their World Cup qualification position.
England national football team has long been considered one of the best teams in world. Unfortunately, however, they have never managed to win either the World Cup or major European Championship tournament. Although England have experienced numerous highs and lows throughout their history – most notably at 1986 FIFA World Cup when they lost against Argentina in the quarter-finals – no major title have ever been achieved yet.
CM: Armando Broja
Thomas Tuchel knows his England squad will qualify for the World Cup qualifying playoffs and therefore has little to lose by making changes to it. Phil Foden returns after scoring late against Serbia, pairing him with Jude Bellingham and Eberechi Eze as an attacking midfield trio behind Harry Kane.
Last Thursday, England were impressive against Andorra with Thomas Strakosha having to make some impressive saves for Arsenal goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha to impress against Andorra. On Sunday he will start in goal alongside Elseid Hysaj of former Brentford side Brentford and Atalanta’s Berat Djimsiti from Atalanta; Armando Broja is likely to play more advanced roles with Nedim Bajrami of Rangers on the bench; England also include Burnley striker Sam Vokes among their ranks.
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