The first official task for Thomas Tuchel as the coach of England was the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifying group, where his team will face Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra.

Tuchel will officially begin his role in January as the first German coach for the 1966 World Cup champions. He attended the draw at FIFA headquarters, where the 54 European teams were divided into 12 qualifying groups. Matches in some groups will begin in March, while others will start in June or September.

“It’s a tough group, that’s my initial thought,” Tuchel mentioned, as he awaits FIFA’s approval of the duty schedule to determine if he will make his debut as England’s coach with a qualifier in March or a friendly match.

Europe will send 16 teams to the inaugural 48-team World Cup hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The top 12 group finishers will advance directly, while other runners-up will enter playoffs in March 2026.

England is among the few top-seeded teams with known qualifying opponents. The rest of the groups are still open, as eight top seeds will be filled based on the outcomes of their Nations League quarterfinals in March.

The winner of the quarterfinal clash between the European champion Spain and the Netherlands is placed in a challenging Group E alongside Turkey, Georgia, and Bulgaria.

The coach of Georgia, Willy Sagnol, observed that Turkey presents a formidable challenge following Turkey’s defeat against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal.

In terms of potential security issues, England’s group could face challenges, especially with Serbia hosting Albania for the first time since their notorious ‘drone match’ in 2014, which saw nationalistic tensions flare between the two Balkan countries.

This dramatic draw sets the stage for an exciting qualifying phase leading toward the 2026 World Cup.