Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
England
Match Time & Date:
21/03/2025
20:45
Prediction: 3-0
Albania
England will be aiming to make a flying start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign when they welcome Albania to their Wembley Stadium on Friday evening. New boss Thomas Tuchel has a number of high-profile footballers to choose from, but Chelsea ace Cole Palmer has pulled out through injury. Aston Villa forward Marcus Rashford returns to the squad, while all Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarrell Quansah, and Aaron Ramsdale have been ruled out with injuries.
The Albanians, on the other hand, will try to claim a major scalp in their opener, but with England being a real force to be reckoned with at home, we are tempted to bet on Thomas Tuchel’s troops. To make things even worse for the away team, both Elseid Hysaj and Mario Mitaj are out of contention with injuries. Duo Armando Broja – Rey Manaj, on the other hand, is back to the squad.
Highlighted Player (Harry Kane):
Widely regarded as one of England’s best strikers at the moment, Harry Kane enjoyed a meteoric rise at Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 21 Premier League goals during the 2014/2015 campaign to be voted PFA Young Player of the Year.
The highly rated striker went on to surpass that achievement the following season as he helped Tottenham Hotspur mount a serious title challenge for the first time in club’s recent history and he made seamless transition to international football. Kane scored four goals in his first ten appearances for England to prove he was here to stay and at the same time established himself as a first choice striker in Roy Hodgson’s squad ahead of the Euro 2016 finals.
Kane is a modern striker, who is extremely dangerous in the opposition box, but it was some outstanding goals from distance as well as link-up play with teammates that earned him an excellent reputation in world football. Kane is expected to lead both Tottenham and England in years to come, that is if he can resist the lure of top European clubs that continue to cast admiring glances his way.
Highlighted Team (Albania):
The Albanian national football team has represented the country on international stage since 1946, and it is interesting to note that Albania was one of the founding members of UEFA back in 1954. The Eagles have enjoyed very little success in the 20th century, but they managed to show some improvement at the turn of the century and eventually secured their first ever appearance at a major tournament.
Albania qualified for the Euro 2016 finals as they came second in their qualifying group behind Portugal, taking 14 points from 8 matches, with Italian coach Gianni De Biasi at the helm. The Eagles have never qualified for the World Cup finals in 11 attempts, winning mere 14 of 94 World Cup qualifiers.
Former Lazio defender Lorik Cana has worn the captain’s armband over the last few years and he is Albania’s most capped player, while former Chievo forward Erjon Bogdani still holds the record for most goals for the national team, with 18 strikes in 74 appearances.
Uruguay 
Argentina 
Belgium
Ukraine
France
Croatia 
Germany 
Italy
Ireland 
Bulgaria
Portugal 
Denmark 
