KEIR RADNEDGE COMMENTARY: Football moves on at lightning speed. Forget the eco-unfriendly six-way 2030 World Cup. Forget (for now) the ongoing outrage which will pursue the 2034 finals in Saudi Arabia. Focus instead on the 2026 World Cup after the European qualifying draw and with action being launched as soon as March.

However the vista is confused because the make-up of eight of the 12 groups is not clear because they must feature either the winners or losers of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals – which take place in March.

The finals will be played in Canada, Mexico and – mostly – the United States between over a record 39 days between June 11 and July 19, 2026. It will be the first in the expanded 48-team format.

Football’s administrators, more and more, appear to want to make life as complicated as possible.

Europe will have 16 places at the tournament, up from 13 at the last World Cup and the 12 group winners qualify automatically. However the 12 group runners-up go into the playoffs along with the four best-ranked group winners of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League that did not finish in first or second place in the European qualifying group stage.

As far as the initial undecided groups are concerned, Spain take on Netherlands in their Nations League quarter-final, and the winner will join Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria in Group E while the losers enter Group G alongside Poland, Finland, Lithuania and Malta. World Cup 2022 runners-up France face Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals knowing that victory will slot them into Group D with Ukraine, Iceland and Azerbaijan.

England are one of only four top-seeded countries who know their fate. They have met single-nation Serbia only once – at this past summer’s Euro finals where a Jude Bellingham goal settled a group-stage clash.

England have won all six previous meetings with Albania. Latvia will be new opponents at a senior level while England beat Andorra 4-0 and 5-0 during qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

New manager Thomas Tuchel, who takes charge officially on January 1, stepped up ahead of time to react to the draw. He said: “Difficult group is my first impression. Serbia and Albania, for me, are always known for good individual players and emotional groups, emotional fans. It is the first time England plays Latvia so it is a new experience for all of us and, of course, we are favourites against Andorra but we need to prove it.

“We have to be at our top level to make it to the World Cup – it’s the most important task at the moment to not get distracted. We also don’t want to get distracted by the role of favourites.”

Tuchel confirmed that Harry Kane will remain captain, saying: “There is at the moment no need to think about change. Harry was always a top captain for England. So why do you even think about it at the moment?

“You cross the river when you cross the river. First, come January, we will be in touch with everyone and get the feeling for St George’s Park and also the players. Until March, there’s still a lot of football to be played and then we will try to find the best group for the games that await.”

England begin their campaign on 21 March when Albania visit Wembley, while Wales host Kazakhstan the following day.

The group contains a possible flashpoint with Serbia and Albania set to face each other twice in a repeat of the ongoing Balkan feud.

Serbia does not recognise the mainly ethnic Albanian Kosovo. At Serbia’s Euros match against England, Kosovar journalist Arlind Sadiku made a double-headed eagle gesture – the symbol of Albania’s flag – to Serbian fans during a live broadcast, and had his credentials rescinded by UEFA.

UEFA also imposed punishments after fans of Albania and Croatia joined together in chants of “Kill the Serbs” and Serbian supporters chanted “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” and displayed a flag with Kosovo inside Serbia’s borders.

A similar flag led to a FIFA fine for Serbia at World Cup 2022, after the players hung the flag in their dressing room for their game with Brazil.

In 2014, a Euro qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned following a brawl between players after a flag, depicting so-called Greater Albania, an area covering all parts of the Balkans where ethnic Albanians live, was flown over the stadium.

Last month Romania were awarded a 3-0 win over Kosovo when the game was abandoned after the Kosovo players left the pitch after pro-Serb chanting from home fans.

Political reasons meant Ukraine and Belarus could not be drawn together, nor could Gibraltar and Spain. Kosovo were kept separate from Serbia and Bosnia.

The groups

Group A: Germany/Italy (winner), Slovakia, N Ireland, Luxembourg.

Group B: Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo.

Group C: Portugal/Denmark (loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus.

Group D: France/Croatia (winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan.

Group E: Spain/Netherlands (winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria.

Group F: Portugal/Denmark (winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia.

Group G: Spain/Netherlands (loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta.

Group H: Austria, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino.

Group I: Germany/Italy (loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova.

Group J: Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein.

Group K: England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra.

Group L: France/Croatia (loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar.

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