The Three Lions can breathe easy with their place at next summer’s finals in North America having been sealed with two matches to spare thanks to last month’s rout in Latvia, where they made it back-to-back 5-0 away triumphs in Group K either side of a 3-0 home friendly victory over Wales.
England have been flawless during qualifying so far with six wins from six, 18 goals scored and still none conceded, with players now intent on impressing head coach Thomas Tuchel with only one more camp to go after this before he names his World Cup squad.
Serbia did look to be England’s sternest group opposition on paper, but were blown away in Belgrade in September and also lost to Albania last month, leaving them third and battling their rivals for a play-off spot.
They arrive in London with a new manager at the helm, with former Reading and Real Oviedo boss Veljko Paunovic – who won the Under-20 World Cup with Serbia back in 2015 – now taking charge after the departure of Dragan Stojkovic.
Date, kick-off time and venue
England vs Serbia is scheduled for a 7:45pm GMT kick-off today, Thursday November 13, 2025.
The match will take place at Wembley Stadium.
Where to watch England vs Serbia
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on ITV. Coverage starts on ITV1 at 7pm GMT.
Live stream: You can also watch the match live online via the ITVX app and website, which is free with a registration.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from England reporters Simon Collings and Dom Smith at Wembley.
England vs Serbia team news
Newcastle duo Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon have also withdrawn due to concussion and hip problems respectively, with James Trafford added in place of the former.
Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Adam Wharton and Nico O’Reilly have all earned recalls for England, with a maiden senior call-up for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.
Sidelined: England are without Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi against Serbia and Albania due to injury
The FA via Getty Images
Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all drop out, while there is no return to the international fold for the likes of Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold or Danny Welbeck. Chelsea talisman Cole Palmer remains injured.
England vs Serbia prediction
While it’s certainly not always been thrilling, England have absolutely breezed through qualifying to become the first European nation to book their place in the 2026 World Cup finals.
The Three Lions have added a real ruthless edge of late with 13 goals scored in their last three matches and have rarely come close to conceding any in reply.
Motivation should remain high in the home camp despite qualifying with two games to spare, with not much time left for players to prove to Tuchel that they are worthy of a seat on the plane.
It’s been a disappointing campaign for Serbia, who will hope for the cliched new manager bounce as they bid to put pressure on Albania in the race for a play-off berth.
It’s hard to see past another comfortable England win here, albeit more low-key than their last couple of away thrashings.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
England vs Serbia match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
