"It's been telling how much of the coverage around England recently has focused on how they must improve before the World Cup finals next summer. It's true, of course: they've been in the final of the last two Euros, played well in getting to the quarter-final of the last World Cup and have a fleet of extremely gifted players but have not really impressed since beating Greece in the Nations League under Lee Carsley last November."
"What's never considered, though, is the thought that they may not get to the 2026 World Cup at all. England travel to face Serbia on Tuesday, having won four out of four without conceding a goal. But three of those four games have been at home and two of them have been against Andorra. They still have to go not only to Belgrade but also to Tirana to face Albania."
England have strong recent pedigree but have not impressed since November's Nations League win over Greece. England have won four of four qualifying matches without conceding, but three were at home and two were against Andorra. Upcoming away fixtures in Belgrade and Tirana pose greater challenges. Serbia's draw in Albania shows resilience and suggests the trip to Belgrade will be testing. A defeat in Belgrade would leave England under pressure and could make the home game with Serbia a direct shootout for the group's only automatic spot. England have not missed a World Cup since 1994, so failure to qualify would be a major shock.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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