England International Break Preview

Over the course of the current October international break, Thomas Tuchel’s England are set to face the likes of Wales and Latvia, with the latter being a crucial World Cup Qualifier.

The October international break has arrived, and Thomas Tuchel’s England will be in action in two matches over the next few days. Firstly, the Three Lions will be facing rivals Wales in a friendly before taking on Latvia in what promises to be a crucial World Cup Qualifier for the team.

The game against rivals Wales will be played under the arch at the iconic Wembley Stadium on the evening of Thursday 9th October, with kick-off scheduled for 19:45. Then, the team will be heading to continental Europe, specifically to the Daugavas Stadiona in order to play Latvia on Tuesday 14th October – this game is also set to get underway in the evening, with kick-off for this contest also at 19:45 (UK Time).

England’s most recent game saw them face Serbia in their sixth World Cup Qualifying fixture away from home back on Tuesday 9th September 2025, which saw them win 5 – 0 against ten man Serbia thanks to the goals of Harry Kane (33’), Noni Madueke (35’), Ezri Konsa (52’), Marc Guehi (75’), and Marcus Rashford (90’ – Penalty) either side of half-time.

England Head Coach Thomas Tuchel has been in charge since his appointment was officially announced by the English Football Association back on Wednesday, 16th October 2024. The squad to take on Wales and Latvia was confirmed officially on Friday, 3rd October 2025, and it is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City).

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (FC Barcelona, on loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Midfielder Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City was a late inclusion in the senior squad following Reece James’ withdrawal from the England camp due to injury.

Now, we will look ahead to the two matches to come for England in more detail, starting with Thursday’s game against Wales at Wembley. It still promises to be a hard-fought and passionate game, even though it is a friendly.

The Three Lions last faced rivals Wales in a Group Stage game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Saudi Arabia, on 29th November that year. It was a comfortable and thoroughly deserved 3 – 0 triumph for England, thanks to the goals of Marcus Rashford (50’, 68’) and Phil Foden (51’).

Steve Bloomer is the player who has scored the most goals for England against Wales, having scored 10 in his career between 9th March 1895 and 20th March 1899.

Overall, England and Wales have met on a grand total of 104 times in all competitions and friendlies over the years, and it is currently the Three Lions who have the superior record of 69 victories compared with just 14 for Wales. There have been 21 draws between these two nations so far, as of the time of writing.

Moving on to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Latvia on Tuesday, 14th October, away from home, this will be the first time that England will have faced these opponents in a game since they met in a previous World Cup qualifier back on 24th March 2025 at Wembley.

It was a comfortable and well deserved 3 – 0 victory in the end for Thomas Tuchel’s side, who were able to find the back of the net thanks to efforts from the likes of Reece James (38’), Harry Kane (68’), and Eberechi Eze (76’), with two of these goals coming in the second half of the game in the English Capital.

This was the first-ever game between these two nations, so they will be meeting for the second time.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will of course be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As of the time of writing, England have won all five of their qualifiers whilst also yet to concede a single goal. They also hold a strong seven point lead ahead of Albania who currently occupy second place in the group.

England can secure their place with victory against Latvia, although this would rely on Serbia failing to get a win in their qualifier against Albania on Saturday, 11th October, just a few days before England come face to face with Latvia.

Alternatively, two wins from their final three qualifying games will also see them successfully qualify for the next World Cup.

Excitement is building ahead of England’s friendly game against fierce rivals Wales, before they then encounter Latvia in that crucial World Cup Qualifier just days later. The Three Lions will be looking to secure victory in both games, as they look to continue building up momentum under the stewardship of their Head Coach, Thomas Frank.

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