For England, the approach to friendlies is as much about managing the fixture list as it is about preparing for the World Cup. The team has been fortunate with its qualifying campaign, but the road ahead will be tougher.
The issue at hand is how to pick warm-up games that are both useful and manageable. While some top teams have played each other in friendly matches during this period, England's path has been more straightforward, with only one competitive defeat since Euro 2024 – a 3-1 loss to Serbia.
However, the lack of strong competition has raised concerns about how prepared the team will be for the World Cup. With no top-level opposition since losing to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, England's men have played mostly lower-ranked teams – although they did beat Wales 3-0 in October.
The women's team, on the other hand, has enjoyed more freedom, playing nine friendlies before their World Cup title win. Before that tournament, they had been testing themselves against strong opponents like Sweden, Brazil, and Spain.
This highlights a dilemma: England needs to weigh up two kinds of preparation for the World Cup – one that tests itself against top countries and another against nations who play in a similar style to its future opponents.
The approach will depend on the draw, which is set to take place in December. England is likely to face either Uruguay or Japan as part of their group. Playing Uruguay would be an opportunity to test itself against a South American team, while facing Japan could provide a more familiar Asian opponent.
Ultimately, the key question for Gareth Southgate's men will be whether they can manage both the World Cup draw and the complexities of the friendlies effectively.
The issue at hand is how to pick warm-up games that are both useful and manageable. While some top teams have played each other in friendly matches during this period, England's path has been more straightforward, with only one competitive defeat since Euro 2024 – a 3-1 loss to Serbia.
However, the lack of strong competition has raised concerns about how prepared the team will be for the World Cup. With no top-level opposition since losing to Spain in the final of Euro 2024, England's men have played mostly lower-ranked teams – although they did beat Wales 3-0 in October.
The women's team, on the other hand, has enjoyed more freedom, playing nine friendlies before their World Cup title win. Before that tournament, they had been testing themselves against strong opponents like Sweden, Brazil, and Spain.
This highlights a dilemma: England needs to weigh up two kinds of preparation for the World Cup – one that tests itself against top countries and another against nations who play in a similar style to its future opponents.
The approach will depend on the draw, which is set to take place in December. England is likely to face either Uruguay or Japan as part of their group. Playing Uruguay would be an opportunity to test itself against a South American team, while facing Japan could provide a more familiar Asian opponent.
Ultimately, the key question for Gareth Southgate's men will be whether they can manage both the World Cup draw and the complexities of the friendlies effectively.
. I mean, it feels like they're just running around in circles, playing teams that aren't even that strong. And what's the point of playing Wales 3-0 if they're not going to face any real competition? It's like they're trying to get some bragging rights or something 
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. I'm all for them getting a good warm-up, but nine friendlies before the World Cup? That's just overkill in my book. Can't they just play a few strong teams and be done with it? The draw is coming up soon, so we'll see how it plays out... but I'm still not convinced this approach is going to pay off 
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. what's the point of even having friendlies if we're not gonna play anyone worth beating?
. Those Euro 2024 losses to Serbia and Spain were a bit too much of a wake-up call if you ask me 
. On the other hand, I get that they didn't wanna risk injuries or burnout, but still...it's always better to fire some ammo before the big game 
. What do u guys think? Should they play more top teams just to be safe?
. Gareth Southgate's gotta make some tough decisions about how to structure their friendlies so they're not just warm-up games 
. We need to see them play some top-level opposition before the World Cup, especially if they end up playing in a group with Uruguay or Japan 
. I'm hoping they can pull it off and get that 3rd-place finish 
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i mean, have you tried oat milk? it's so creamy and good for you too! anyway, back to england's friendly matches... i think they should just play whoever wants to play them honestly. like, if spain or serbia want to beat them in a friendly match that's cool but if they're gonna hold them back just 'cause they wanna win the world cup it's all pointless 
It's gonna be interesting to see how Gareth Southgate sorts out this whole thing... 
. from what i saw, they've been pretty lucky not having a strong opponent since euro 2024 
. but at the same time, that lack of competition is raising concerns about how prepared they'll be for the world cup 
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: england's men have only played one competitive defeat in over a year 
(that 3-1 loss to serbia was a bummer 
). but when it comes to their friendlies, they've been playing mostly lower-ranked teams... until they beat wales 3-0 in october 
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It's like they're not even trying to test themselves against decent opponents anymore! I mean, come on, Gareth Southgate knows that playing one or two top-level teams isn't going to cut it if we want to lift that trophy 
It's just not fair! We need to start seeing more top-level opponents, or else we'll be woefully unprepared for the World Cup 