Match Centre: Serbia 0-5 England
- S. Lukić (29′)
- N. Milenković (72′)
- H. Kane (33′)
- N. Madueke (35′)
- E. Konsa (52′)
- M. Guéhi (75′)
- M. Rashford (90′PEN)
- A. Gordon (40′)
All the details you need to know ahead of the Three Lions' World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade
Highlights: Serbia 0-5 England
Watch the best of the action from Belgrade as the Three Lions enjoyed an impressive victory over their group rivals
Serbia v England
FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers
Group K
7.45pm BST, Tuesday 9 September 2025
Stadion Rajko Mitić, Belgrade
Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel and captain Harry Kane addressed the press ahead of Tuesday’s game against Serbia.
Here is what they had to say.
Tuchel on how England are approaching the game:
You always have to prepare for everything. We prepare for the best version of Serbia.
First of all, we’re in a very supportive country and a very emotional country. They have amazing talents over the years in football and we will face individual quality, we will face emotions.
We have our first away game together in a very emotional and traditional stadium, so I think the occasion, the opponent and the consolation will bring out the very best in us tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it.
On whether there will be changes to the starting XI:
In terms of performance, I have to say not too many – maybe slight adjustments because we had an excellent camp and everyone deserves to play and everyone deserves some minutes.
The players are not yet in a rhythm where it’s normal also to play 90 minutes every three days, so we take this into account.
We do last decisions for changes and for the line-up tonight and maybe tomorrow morning. Everyone is available, so it will be narrow decisions but that’s a good sign.
On his side’s desire to come away with three points:
We are clearly here to win. We are prepared to win and to try to win. This is why we are here. We want to put the performance and quality on the pitch that it’s enough to win.
We can never guarantee and we will never be arrogant and disrespectful. The result is hard to control. We want to have a good performance and we need a top performance to reach our goal. And the target is clear: we want to win.
We’re live in Belgrade with @HKane and Thomas Tuchel as we look ahead to tomorrow’s game against Serbia 🗣️ https://t.co/EUQOGPVUDE
— England (@England) September 8, 2025
Kane on the difficulty of the game:
It’s going to be tough, for sure. I played here with Spurs quite a few years ago, so I’ve had that experience it. It’s definitely a difficult atmosphere to play in front of.
I’d imagine tomorrow will be even more hostile and they’ll try and make it as difficult as they can for us. It’s a big game in terms of qualification for the World Cup, so we need to be ready.
It’s going to be a difficult evening but we’ve had games like this before and I feel like we’ve handled it well and we need to do the same tomorrow.
On what victory could mean for England:
It'll be a big step in the right direction, of course. When you look at the group, this and the Albania away games are going to be the two toughest.
The way the group is poised at the moment, we know that if we win, we take a big step in the right direction but also, from Serbia’s point of view, they know it’s a great opportunity for them as well to get their nose in front and go into a great position going into the next camp.
We need to focus on what we can control and that’s going out there and playing the way we know we can. It’s going to be difficult but we enjoy these challenges. This is part and parcel of qualifying for the biggest tournament in the world and we look forward to it.
On how the group is shaping up:
Every game up until now in this group has been against a team that almost are happy to sit back and just try and not make it 4-0 to 5-0, so you have to be patient in those moments. I feel like we’ve had spells where we’ve handled that well and we’ve had some moments where we can improve on.
I think tomorrow night will be different. Serbia are a really good football team and they will try and play, especially here at home, and they’ll try and press us higher up the pitch and make it difficult.
Going back to those games, as a striker, you know it’s not going to be tens of chances in the game, you have to take your one or two that you get. Up until the game a couple of days ago, I was able to get on the scoresheet so as a striker, you’re happy to help the team.
On the previous meeting with Serbia:
We expect a similar game. That was a really tough game in the EUROs last summer. I thought large parts of that game, we controlled it well. Probably in the second half, we look at as a game we could’ve done a little bit better. Serbia were really good in possession and we struggled to press the way we wanted to.
Tomorrow, we have to go with loads of energy and make it as difficult as we can for them. If we give them too much time, they have the quality in the team to hurt us. We’re going to go aggressive and try and be on the front foot. Hopefully we can come out with that energy and really take the game from minute one.
Last time out: Serbia 0-1 England
The Three Lions got their EURO 2024 campaign off to a winning start courtesy of Jude Bellingham
Serbia in profile
Nickname: The Eagles
Coach: Dragan Stojković
Captain: Aleksandar Mitrović
Match Stats
● Including Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, England have won each of their last five meetings with Serbia by an aggregate score of 11-3.
● This will be England’s first visit to Serbia as an independent nation, with their last away game against Yugoslavia coming in November 1987, winning 4-1 in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.
● Serbia have lost just one of their last 24 World Cup qualifiers (W16 D7), losing 3-2 to Austria in October 2017, and at home have lost just one of their last 28 since September 2001 (W19 D8), losing 3-0 to Belgium in October 2012.
● England mustered up eleven shots in their 2-0 home win against 174th ranked Andorra on MD4, and only one after Declan Rice’s goal in the 67th minute – they last had fewer in a game against a nation ranked outside of the top 100 in March 2011 vs Wales (won 2-0 – 116th ranked).
● England haven’t conceded in any of their last six competitive fixtures and could tie their longest ever run of clean sheets in such games, previously keeping seven in a row between October 1988 and October 1989 under Sir Bobby Robson.
● Thomas Tuchel could become just the fourth manager to win each of his first five competitive games in charge of England after Fabio Capello (first eight), Ron Greenwood (first six) and Sven-Goran Eriksson (first five).
● During his Premier League career, Aleksandar Mitrovic had more shots against Jordan Pickford than any other goalkeeper (24 – six on target) but failed to score with any of them. The striker has however scored eight goals across his last seven starts in World Cup qualifying.
● Harry Kane has scored an away goal against 15 different opponents in his international career, with only Wayne Rooney netting against more different nations in away matches (16) – the Three Lions’ captain has played at this venue before in Belgrade, having four shots to no avail for Spurs vs Crvena Zvezda in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League.
● Declan Rice has had a hand in seven goals in his last 12 appearances for England (three goals, four assists), having been involved in just three goals in his first 55 international appearances (three goals, no assists).
● Serbia have won each of their last two games – both in World Cup qualification – last winning three competitive fixtures in a row in November 2021.
● Serbia have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four matches, and haven’t conceded on home soil since a 2-2 draw with Bulgaria in November 2023, playing five times at home since.
● England are unbeaten in each of their last nine away matches in all competitions (W7 D2), last suffering defeat on the road to Italy in September 2022 in the UEFA Nations League.
● The Three Lions are unbeaten in each of their last 35 World Cup qualifiers (W27 D8), since a 1-0 loss away to Ukraine in October 2009.
● The only previous meeting between England and Serbia since they became an independent nation came on MD1 of UEFA EURO 2024, the Three Lions taking an early lead through a Jude Bellingham header and holding out for a 1-0 victory.
● England managed just five shots in that victory, however, their joint-fewest in any competitive fixture under previous manager Gareth Southgate (happened four times).
● This will be England’s first game in Belgrade since November 1987, beating Yugoslavia 4-1 under Sir Bobby Robson thanks to four goals inside the opening 25 minutes from Peter Beardsley, John Barnes, Bryan Robson and Tony Adams.
● The Three Lions’ overall record in Belgrade stands at one win, two draws and three defeats, each match coming against Yugoslavia. Each of their winless trips to the capital city were friendly matches.
● England have lost their last two games against nations beginning with the letter ‘s’ (vs Spain and Senegal), having gone unbeaten in 13 straight against such opposition prior (W9 D4).
● The Three Lions have scored in each of their last seven games against Serbia (including games against Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro), last failing to do so in a 1-0 loss at EURO 1968 in Florence, Italy.
England Squad News
The squad for this game has been announced and is available to view here.
We’re live in London as Thomas Tuchel talks us through his #ThreeLions squad for September! 🎙️ https://t.co/mWIycc9K5Q
— England (@England) August 29, 2025
Ticket Information
How to watch or stream Serbia v England
This game will be available to watch live on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player in the UK.
Thomas Tuchel has named his team to take on Serbia in Belgrade this evening.
The England head coach makes four changes to the side that beat Andorra at Villa Park, with Ezri Konsa, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Rogers and Tino Livramento coming into the starting XI.
England: 1 Jordan Pickford, 2 Reece James, 4 Declan Rice, 5 Ezri Konsa, 6 Marc Guéhi, 7 Anthony Gordon, 9 Harry Kane, 15 Morgan Rogers, 16 Tino Livramento, 21 Noni Madueke, 23 Elliot Anderson
Substitutes: 3 Jarell Quansah, 8 Jordan Henderson, 10 Eberechi Eze, 11 Marcus Rashford, 12 Dan Burn, 13 Dean Henderson, 14 Djed Spence, 17 Morgan Gibbs-White, 18 Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 19 Ollie Watkins, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 22 James Trafford
Harry Kane’s record-extending 74th England goal got Thomas Tuchel’s side off the mark before Noni Madueke grabbed his first for his country two minutes later with a confident finish.
Ezri Konsa extended the visitors’ lead early in the second half as the hosts toiled under the lights at the Rajko Mitić Stadium.
Nikola Milenkovic’s red card for denying Kane an obvious goalscoring opportunity compounded Serbia’s plight and Marc Guéhi and Marcus Rashford, via the penalty spot, added the icing on the cake.
The victory maintains England’s 100 per cent record in Group K – handing them a seven-point lead at the top of the group in the process - and puts them in pole position to book their spot at the World Cup in the Americas next summer.
Declan Rice was the first to test Djordje Petrovic after a neat one-two with Elliot Anderson in the sixth minute, but the Arsenal man’s shot from the edge of the box was easily dealt with by the Serbian shot-stopper.
The hosts grew into the game as the first half progressed and Kosta Nedeljkovic’s deflected strike, although comfortably saved by Jordan Pickford, demonstrated Serbia were getting close enough to England’s penalty area to cause potential problems.
Rice again found himself in the thick of the action midway through the opening salvo, but Strahinja Erakovic did enough to stop the Englishman’s cushioned header finding its way back across the box where white shirts lurked.
Serbia’s stubborn resistance was finally broken just after the half-hour mark as Rice’s pinpoint corner found Kane on the penalty spot, and the England captain guided a delightful header past the outstretched Petrovic into the net off the post.
As the Bayern Munich forward racked up his 74th goal whilst on national team duty, Madueke got his first for England two minutes later.
The 23 year old capped off a sumptuous England move, brought about by Anderson’s threaded through ball and Morgan Rogers’ delicious flick, with a precise lifted finished over the Serbian keeper after a surging run in the box from the Arsenal man.
The last time these two sides met was in the group stage of EURO 2024 when England edged a tight encounter 1-0, but just over a year on, Tuchel’s side were in full control as they went in at half time two goals to the good.
Konsa gleefully hammered home at the back post for his first England goal after Guéhi kept the ball alive following Gordon’s strike.
Milenkovic was given his marching orders by referee Clément Turpin for bringing down Kane when he was in behind Serbia’s defence on 72 minutes.
Guéhi poked home from inside the six-yard box three minutes, later after latching onto another superb delivery from Rice.
Ollie Watkins thought he’d added a fifth to England’s tally shortly after coming on, but he was adjudged to be offside after turning home Jarrod Bowen's driven cross.
But England weren’t to be denied for long as Rashford coolly rolled home a late penalty, after Erakovic brought down the lively Watkins, to cap a wonderful night for the Three Lions.
Substitutes: 14 Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur) for James 68’, 11 Marcus Rashford (Barcelona) for Gordon 68’, 19 Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) for Kane 76’, 20 Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United) for Madueke 76’, 8 Jordan Henderson (Brentford) for Rice 81’,
Subs not used: 13 Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), 22 James Trafford (Manchester City), 12 Dan Burn (Newcastle United), 3 Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), 10 Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), 17 Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), 18 Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan)
Goals: Kane 33, Madueke 35, Konsa 52, Guehi 75, Rashford 90
Head coach: Thomas Tuchel
Serbia: 1 Djordje Petrovic, 3 Strahinja Pavlovic, 4 Nikola Milenkovic, 16 Strahinja Erakovic, 7 Veljko Birmancevic, 10 Sasa Lukic, 5 Nemanja Maksimovic, 2 Kosta Nedeljkovic, 17 Ivan Ilic, 14 Andrija Zivkovic, 23 Dusan Vlahovic
Substitutes: 11 Filip Kostic for Birmancevic 46’, 8 Luka Jovic for Nedeljkovic 46’, 20 Lazar Samardzic for Ilic 61’, 9 Aleksandar Mitrovic for Vlahovic 70’, 13 Milos Veljkovic for Zivkovic 76’
Subs not used: 12 Dragan Rosic, 21 Veljko Ilic, 15 Srdjan Babic, 22 Aleksandar Katai, 6 Nemanja Gudelj, 19 Uros Racic, 18 Nikola Stulic,
Head coach: Dragan Stojkovic
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