England confirm two opponents for March friendlies ahead of 2026 World Cup

England will take on Uruguay and Japan in friendlies at Wembley ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The Three Lions will play Uruguay on Friday 27 March and Japan on Tuesday 31 March, in what will be the next time Thomas Tuchel’s side convene – and the last chance for players to impress before the manager names his 26-man squad for the tournament in North America next summer.

The games should provide stiff tests. Uruguay are ranked 16th in the world and have quality midfield players in Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Tottenham’s Rodrigo Bentancur. Uruguay, who are managed by Marcelo Bielsa, have been drawn in Group H alongside Spain, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.

Japan are ranked 18th in the world and have been drawn in Group F, which includes Netherlands, Tunisia and another European team to be decided through the play-offs. English fans will be familiar with a number of the Japanese squad when they turn out at Wembley, such as Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada.

England have been drawn in Group L and will take on Croatia in Dallas on 17 June, Ghana in Boston on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey on 27 June.

“We are really pleased to have these two fixtures confirmed as our World Cup year takes shape,” Tuchel said in a statement. “We wanted to play two teams ranked in the top 20 in the world, but also to test ourselves against opponents from outside of Europe. After Friday’s draw, the excitement for next year is really building and we can’t wait to see our fans again at Wembley.”

Uruguay knocked England out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when the two countries last met.