England secured a hard-fought victory against Andorra in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Saturday. The English team won by a single goal against the FIFA-ranked number 173.
England created numerous chances at the stadium of the Spanish club Espanyol, where Andorra plays its home matches due to the lack of a stadium meeting UEFA requirements in their own country.
England finally broke the deadlock after halftime. Captain Harry Kane slid in a cross from former PSV player Noni Madueke from close range, after the striker was previously denied by the Andorra goalkeeper. Ajax player Jordan Henderson started in the lineup and was substituted after just over an hour.
Despite the challenging performance in Barcelona, England remains perfect in the World Cup qualifiers. Thomas Tuchel’s team has a perfect record after three matches in a group with Albania, Latvia, Serbia, and Andorra. The group winner qualifies directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the runner-up enters the play-offs.
The standings in the group are somewhat misleading because Serbia has not yet played a match. The Serbians had to secure their place in the top tier of the Nations League in March at the start of the World Cup qualifiers, which they succeeded in doing. Serbia will play its first match on Saturday evening, away against Albania.