England have dominated World Cup qualifying, winning all seven matches and scoring 20 goals without reply. They set several records and now stand close to another milestone.
Thomas Tuchel’s players will become the first European team to win at least six qualifiers without conceding if they beat Albania on Sunday at 17:00 GMT and keep a clean sheet.
Achieving a perfect set of victories remains rare. Excluding early World Cup eras with limited qualifiers, only four European nations have finished with a 100% record.
Germany last accomplished this before the 2018 tournament, though they exited early in Russia. Spain and the Netherlands qualified flawlessly for the 2010 World Cup, while West Germany did the same for the 1982 event.
Spain and Norway share England’s current momentum, as both sides have won all their 2026 qualifiers. Luis de la Fuente’s team remain unbeaten and have yet to concede.
Qualification Now Routine for England
England have reached eight straight World Cups since failing to qualify for USA ’94. Supporters now view qualification as almost automatic, though earlier decades told a different story.
England missed consecutive World Cups during the 1970s and only secured places in 1990, 1998, and 2002 after tense qualifying campaigns.
Terry Butcher’s blood-soaked performance against Sweden in 1989 and David Beckham’s dramatic free-kick against Greece in 2001 remain iconic.
Recent campaigns have required no similar heroics, as England’s win percentage has climbed. Reduced tension, however, has sometimes made matches less engaging.
England last lost a World Cup qualifier in 2009, when Ukraine beat them 1-0. That defeat carried no consequence because Fabio Capello’s squad had already qualified for South Africa.
Current Streak Approaches European Best
England have dominated since that loss, avoiding defeat in 38 straight World Cup qualifiers and winning all but eight. They scored 111 goals during that period and conceded only 10, averaging one allowed every 342 minutes.
Tuchel’s team now travel to Albania with the chance to match the European record for consecutive competitive wins without conceding. England’s streak sits at nine, just one behind Spain’s record run across Euro 2016 qualifying and their opening matches of the tournament.
