England’s quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar comes down to the final qualifiers, against Albania and San Marino, this month.
Gareth Southgate’s men had been in fine form in qualifying, winning six of their first seven games to sit top of Group I, the late equaliser they conceded away to Poland last month marking the only blot on that record up until now.
However, October’s draw with Hungary, coupled with Poland beating Albania in Tirana, meant England’s lead at the top was cut to three points. The Three Lions still need four points from their final two games to be sure of qualifying directly for the tournament.
Given their strong goal difference, however, the likelihood is that three points will be enough and with a game to come against San Marino on the final day, there will be little cause for alarm for Southgate.
Before that, they face Albania, when they could secure qualification with a game to spare were Poland to unexpectedly slip up against Andorra.
The ten teams finishing second in each group in the European qualifying arm will move into the play-offs, along with the two best-ranked teams from the most recent edition of the Uefa Nations League who fail to finish in the top two in their groups.
Those 12 teams will be split into three mini play-off tournaments, contesting semi-finals and a final to determine the final three European teams for Qatar.
