Albania vs England Preview

England travel to Tirana for this World Cup qualifier at the Arena Kombetare on Sunday, 16th November 2025, with both nations arriving in perfect form. The Three Lions and Albania have each won their last five matches, setting up an intriguing encounter between a dominant England side and resilient hosts determined to extend their unbeaten run on home soil.

England’s recent form has been ruthless and comprehensive. Their most recent outing saw them dispatch Serbia 2-0 on Wednesday. Prior to that, they demolished Latvia 5-0 away from home in October. Earlier in this sequence, they secured a 3-0 victory over Wales in an international friendly, then hammered Serbia 5-0 in September before opening their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Andorra in early September. The Three Lions have scored 17 goals across these five matches while conceding none, demonstrating their attacking prowess and defensive solidity under their current setup.

Albania have matched England’s five consecutive victories, though on a more modest scale. Their most recent match ended with a 1-0 home win against Andorra on Thursday. Before that, they claimed a 4-2 victory over Jordan in an October friendly. Earlier in this run, they edged Serbia 1-0 away from home in World Cup qualifying, defeated Latvia 1-0 in September, then beat Gibraltar 1-0 in a September friendly. While less emphatic than England’s recent results, Albania’s perfect record reflects their growing confidence and home advantage at the Arena Kombetare, where they’ve proven difficult to break down.

The head-to-head record heavily favours England, who have won all three recent encounters. Most recently, England secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory in March 2025. They also recorded a dominant 5-0 win in November 2021 and a 2-0 away success in March 2021.

England will deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with significant firepower across all areas. Foden anchors the attack, supported by the creative talents of Kane and Bellingham in advanced positions. Albania counter with their own 4-2-3-1, built around Manaj leading the line.

England will be without three players for this encounter. Nick Pope, Marc Guéhi, and Anthony Gordon are all ruled out, forcing tactical adjustments to the squad depth. Albania, meanwhile, have reported no missing players and will field their strongest available XI.

Fans worldwide can follow this qualifying clash across multiple platforms. In Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, the match streams live on ITVX and Amazon Prime Video, with terrestrial coverage on ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland, and UTV. Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Three provide Irish options, while TalkSport Radio UK and BBC Radio 5 Live offer audio commentary. Albanian supporters can watch on SuperSport 2, DigitalbTV, and Klan. International viewers have access through various regional broadcasters, with streaming available on platforms including Sony LIV across South Asia, DAZN in select European markets, Disney+ in the Americas, and beIN Sports across the Middle East and North Africa. The 17:00 GMT kick-off translates to 18:00 in Tirana, 12:00 EST, and early morning slots for Asian audiences.

Injured Players:

England: Nick Pope (Out), Marc Guéhi (Out), Anthony Gordon (Out)

England face the more significant injury challenges with three players ruled out, impacting their squad depth across defensive and attacking positions. Albania enter this match with a fully fit squad, giving them a rare advantage in team selection.

Possible Line-Ups

Albania (4-2-3-1) Mitaj, Hysaj, Broja, Asllani, Ajeti, Manaj, Laci, Shehu, Djimisti, Strakosha, Hoxha

England (4-2-3-1) James, O’Reilly, Eze, Stones, Henderson, Pickford, Kane, Bellingham, Konsa, Wharton, Foden

Albania – Last 5 Matches

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	Andorra	0-1	Albania	World Cup Qualifying	Nov 13, 2025
W	Albania	4-2	Jordan	International Friendly	Oct 14, 2025
W	Serbia	0-1	Albania	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 11, 2025
W	Albania	1-0	Latvia	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 9, 2025
W	Gibraltar	0-1	Albania	International Friendly	Sep 4, 2025

England – Last 5 Matches

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
W	England	2-0	Serbia	World Cup Qualifying	Nov 13, 2025
W	Latvia	0-5	England	World Cup Qualifying	Oct 14, 2025
W	England	3-0	Wales	International Friendly	Oct 9, 2025
W	Serbia	0-5	England	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 9, 2025
W	England	2-0	Andorra	World Cup Qualifying	Sep 6, 2025

Head-To-Head Record

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
England	2-0	Albania	World Cup Qualifying	Mar 21, 2025
England	5-0	Albania	World Cup Qualifying	Nov 12, 2021
Albania	0-2	England	World Cup Qualifying	Mar 28, 2021

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Broadcaster
Great Britain	ITVX, Amazon Prime Video, ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland, UTV
Ireland Republic	ITVX, Amazon Prime Video, Virgin Media Two, Virgin Media Three
Albania	SuperSport 2, DigitalbTV, Klan
USA	fuboTV, ViX
India	JioTV, Sony LIV, SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD
Australia	Stan Sport
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada
Germany	DAZN Germany
France	Molotov, Free, L’Equipe
Italy	SKY Go Italia, NOW TV, Sky Sport 255