Bukayo Saka’s 28th-minute volley and Eberechi Eze’s curling strike in the final minute of normal time gave England a 2026 World Cup qualifying victory over Serbia in their final home match of 2025.
Bukayo THEN! ⚽️
This is a BRILLIANT finish from the Arsenal man 💥#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions | @England pic.twitter.com/T7glMUkNsH
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 13, 2025
Saka scored the opener from inside the box to put the Three Lions, already qualified for finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, on course for their seventh victory of a perfect campaign.
Berechi Eze scores again for England! »
What a strike. Job done for the Three Lions 🦁#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/hhtES5vCho
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 13, 2025
Arsenal striker Eze fired a shot against the woodwork in the 87th minute through Serbia goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic before finding the far corner of the net with an accomplished finish after Phil Foden had cleared from the halfway line.
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England vs Serbia: World Cup ride for hosts
England’s 5-0 victory in Serbia on September 9 was their best performance since Thomas Tuchel took charge at the start of the year.
Although this match was not as vintage or eventful, the coach felt that his team should have scored a second goal before the break.
“I liked it,” Tuchel told ITV Football in his assessment. “Not every game is easy. We became a little too open [late on] – I need to check why.
England starting XI against Serbia
Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly made his first England start, with Jude Bellingham on the bench and Morgan Rogers in midfield.
England were without goalkeeper Nick Pope, winger Anthony Gordon and centre-back Marc Guehi due to injury, although the Crystal Palace captain remained with the team.
Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford and Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah received late call-ups.
England starting XI: Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O’Reilly, Bukayo Saka, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane
England substitutes: James Trafford, Trevohh Challah, Henderson, Bembingham, Dean Henderson of You Henderson, Sovere
Serbia starting XI against England
Serbia were without Al-Rayyan striker Aleksandar Mitrovic – the country’s top scorer – due to injury, while Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic led the way.
Serbia starting lineup: Predrag Rajkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Aleksa Terzic, Ognjen Mimovic, Ivan Ilic, Nemanja Gudelj, Sasa Lukic, Filip Kostic, Andrija Zivkovic, Dusan Vlahovic
Serbia replaces: Djordje Petrovic, Marko Grujic, Nemanja Radonjic, Luka Jovic, Aleksandar Katai, Veljko Ilic, Milos Veljkovic, Veljko Milosavljevic, Strahinja Erakovic, Luka Ilic, Aleksandar Stankovic, Lazar Samardzic
England team against Serbia and Albania
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Nico O’Reilly (Man City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Man City)
Midfield: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Villa), Alex Scott (Bournemouth), Adam Wharton (Palais)
Advantages: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Man City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
England football team’s World Cup qualification schedule
Friday March 21: England 2-0 Albania
Monday March 24: England 3-0 Latvia
Saturday June 7: Andorra 0-1 England
Saturday September 6: England 2-0 Andorra
Tuesday September 9: Serbia 0-5 England
Tuesday October 14: Latvia 0-5 England
Thursday November 13: England 2-0 Serbia
Sunday November 16: Albania – England (5:00 p.m.)
England: qualifying route for the 2026 World Cup
The best team from each of the 12 European qualifying groups automatically advances to the final, which will be expanded to 48 teams.
The 12 finalists from each group will join four Nations League teams in the play-offs, which will be drawn based on the teams’ records during the campaign. Matches will consist of single semi-finals and finals.
The draw for the World Cup final will take place in December 2025. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
