WC26 qualifying draw in full as England are placed in group full of controversy

ENGLAND have discovered who they will face to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

During the draw that took place in Zurich, the countries under the jurisdiction of UEFA learned who they would play against to qualify for the actual tournament.

England, led into the tournament by new boss Thomas Tuchel, were in pot one for the draw with the other top-ranked nations including France and Spain.

Elsewhere, Wales were in pot two, while Scotland and Northern Ireland were both in pot three.

And the Three Lions could have faced tough confrontations from pot two against the likes of Norway, Sweden and Turkey, with the likes of Ireland and Georgia lurking in pot three.

The draw was split into twelve qualifying groups, six groups of four and six groups of five, with a total of 16 UEFA countries taking part in the tournament.

Because England did not participate in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League or in the promotion and relegation play-off matches in March, England would likely be drawn in a group of five teams.

SunSport's draw simulation placed them in a group with a familiar foe in Wales, while also pitting them against Montenegro, Estonia and Andorra.

But during the real draw, which Tuchel was present, England discovered they were in Group K and their first opponent was Serbia.

In pot three they drew Albania, while pot four and five faced Latvia and Andorra respectively.

Serbia and Albania have had a controversial history, with UEFA earlier this year handing Albanian striker Mirlind Daku a two-match ban for anti-Serb chants.

UEFA also fined Serbia for trying to burn an Albanian flag.

Elsewhere, Wales ended up in Group J with Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.

Scotland were placed in Group C against the losing UEFA Nations League quarter-finalists between Portugal and Denmark, Greece and Belarus.

Northern Ireland had to face the winner of Germany or Italy, Slovakia and Luxembourg in Group A.

England's first games of the season will take place during the spring international break on March 21 and 25.

However, the actual World Cup starts on June 11, with Mexico City hosting the opener, while New Jersey will host the final on July 19 after a record 39-day tournament.

The World Cup will also feature a last-32 knockout round for the first time to allow for the expansion.