Andorra-England: Three Lions Face Must-Win Clash in 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Tuchel looking to extend perfect start
After winning his first two games as England manager, Thomas Tuchel now sets his sights on minnows Andorra in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Anything other than a dominant victory for the heavily-favoured England would be a shock result. Andorra are currently 173rd in the FIFA rankings while the Three Lions come in ranked fourth. Based on the odds of many of the top online betting sites, England are expected to win by at least 3-4 goals. To make matters even more difficult for Andorra, this won’t even be a true home match as their usual stadium doesn’t meet UEFA requirements.
Let’s check out the standings to see what the situation is heading into matchday three:
Group K
| Position | Team | Matches played | Points | Goal differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | England | 2 | 6 | +5 |
| 2. | Albania | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| 3. | Latvia | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| 4. | Serbia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Andorra | 2 | 0 | -4 |
England’s main competition is expected to be Serbia, although they have yet to begin their World Cup qualifying campaign due to their involvement in the Nations League promotion/relegation playoffs. Luckily for the Eagles, they were able to successfully navigate past Austria and preserve their position in League A.
This is a good opportunity for England to build up a strong lead over Serbia before facing them in September.
Dominant England in World Cup qualifying
England have been dominant at this stage in recent years. They currently possess a 32-match unbeaten World Cup qualifying, which is the longest current run of all European sides. The last time they lost a WCQ match was all the way back in 2009, when they fell 1-0 away from home to Ukraine.
England are off to a good start under manager Thomas Tuchel. They’ve been solid, although perhaps not overly impressive. A 2-0 win over Albania in the opening match was followed up by a 3-0 win over Latvia a few days later. Both of those matches occurred at Wembley Stadium, so this will be a nice test for England as they take their show on the road for the first time during the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
A historically one-sided fixture
These two sides have met six times dating back to 2006, with England unsurprisingly winning all six. In fact, Andorra have never even scored a goal against the Three Lions, while all but one of those previous encounters saw Andorra lose by a margin of less than three goals.
Check out the meetings between the two nations below:
- 09 Sep 2006: England 5-0 Andorra
- 28 Mar 2007: Andorra 0-3 England
- 06 Sep 2008: Andorra 0-2 England
- 10 June 2009: England 6-0 Andorra
- 05 Sep 2021: England 4-0 Andorra
- 09 Oct 2021: Andorra 0-5 England
Expect a full-strength England
England are expected to go with a near full-strength starting 11, which means we are likely to see stars such as Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on Saturday.
Speaking to the media, Tuchel reiterated the importance of these matches and that he will not be approaching it as simply an exhibition match, despite England’s overwhelming status as favourites. In regards to team selection, Tuchel stated:
“It will be an offensive lineup and an attacking lineup.”
Kane will spearhead the attack, while we will likely see Bellingham in his preferred #10 role. However, Tuchel could opt to pair him deeper in the double-pivot with Declan Rice and hand Cole Palmer or Morgan Rogers a start.
On the right wing, expect Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to get the nod. With Phil Foden opting to sit out and rest up for the new season, Saka faces even less competition for his usual starting spot.
The left wing could be occupied by Anthony Gordon, who played a big role in helping Newcastle earn Champions League football with a fifth-place finish. However, Eberechi Eze will surely be pushing for a spot in the team after a scintillating season which included scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final for Palace.
With Marc Guehi injured, the trio of Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa and Levi Colwill will be competing for the two center back positions. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Myles Lewis-Skelly should man the full back positions while Pickford is expected to start between the sticks.
