England meets Serbia: Political clash in the World Cup qualifiers!

England meets Serbia: Political clash in the World Cup qualifiers!

An exciting duel is imminent: England meets Serbia in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup!

The football world is upside down! A real cracker was drawn at the draw of the European qualification groups for the FIFA World Cup in Zurich: England will meet Serbia! This encounter not only promises sporting tension, but also political explosiveness, since Albania has also ended up in this group.

The draw left many question marks for some teams. Eight groups are not yet completely decided because they will either contain the winners or losers of the Nation's League quarter-finals that will take place next March.

The groups and their explosive encounters

England, under the direction of the new coach Thomas Tuchel, who takes over the scepter on January 1, will meet Serbia, Albania, Latvia and Andorra in Group K in Group K. This group has the potential for explosive encounters, especially between Serbia and Albania, which have often faced heated arguments.

At the last European Championships, England beat Serbia 1-0 in their first group game before reaching the final, where they lost 2-1 to Spain. The rivalry between Serbia and Albania is deep-rooted and is further fueled by political tensions in the region. Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, which has a majority ethnic Albanian population, which further complicates the situation.

Political tensions and sporty rivalries

The political tensions cannot be overlooked. In a game between Serbia and England, a Kosovar journalist caused excitement when he made a gesture during a live broadcast that represents the symbol of the Albanian flag. Uefa reacted promptly and withdrawn the accreditation.

The rivalry has also led to violent incidents in the past. A euro qualification game between Serbia and Albania had to be canceled in 2014 after there was a handmade between the players when a flag with the symbol of a so-called "Großalbania" was swung above the stadium.

UEFA has already imposed penalties on Serbia after fans provoked with slogans such as "Kill the Serbs" during a match against Albania and Croatia. Such incidents cast a shadow over the upcoming tournament and the encounters between these nations.

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico and will be the first to be held with 48 teams. Europe has 16 places, which represents an increase of 13 compared to the last World Cup. The qualification games begin in March next year and will continue until November, with the teams playing against each other in home and away games.