England host Wales in Wembley friendly ahead of 2026 qualifiers

England will host Wales in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 7.45pm BST. The match serves as the final tune-up for both sides before they return to 2026 World Cup qualifying next week, when England travel to Latvia and Wales host Belgium.

England enter the game in strong form and as clear favourites. Thomas Tuchel's side have won each of their last five matches in all competitions and sit top of Group K with a maximum 15 points from five qualifiers. Their recent 5-0 victory over Serbia featured goals from Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi and Marcus Rashford and reinforced England's scoring run, the team having found the net in every match for the past 16 outings. Wales arrive on the back of mixed results, having edged Kazakhstan 1-0 in qualification but then losing 1-0 in a friendly to Canada.

Squad news has shaped selection and tactical questions ahead of the friendly. England were forced into a late change when Chelsea captain Reece James withdrew with an injury; Manchester City youngster Nico O'Reilly was called into the squad as his replacement. Several high-profile players are not involved in the...