Thomas Tuchel issues Cristiano Ronaldo warning to his England players before their last World Cup 2026 qualifier

Thomas Tuchel will lead England into their last qualifying match for World Cup 2026 in Albania on Sunday.

England have already qualified for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer and Tuchel can now turn his attention fully to the World Cup finals.

But with 90 minutes remaining in the Three Lions’ Group K campaign, Tuchel is eager to complete a perfect record in qualification without conceding a goal.

Tuchel demands discipline from his England players in their final qualifier

The England boss has demanded that his players avoid following in the footsteps of Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who will miss the start of the World Cup if his team can secure qualification.

Ronaldo was sent off against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Thursday and his suspension is expected to carry over into the finals on the other side of the Atlantic next summer.

“No red cards please,” Tuchel said to the media in Albania before England’s last qualifying fixture. “It is important. I’m aware of it and we will talk about it.”

Tuchel was asked by a reporter whether he would rather lose the game than have a player dismissed and largely brushed it off as an ‘extreme example’ but made his wishes clear.

“If we can avoid it, no red card of course,” said the England boss. “I don’t want to make the subject too big speaking about it because then you have a cloud above you.

“Normally we are not at risk anyway, but if someone has a choice to make, don’t do it.”

The last England player sent off for England was Luke Shaw, who was twice shown the yellow card against Italy in a European Championship qualifier at the Stadio Diego Maradona in Naples in March 2023.

England have breezed through qualifying so far, getting over the line with two matches to spare to take all the pressure off the November international match window.

They added a seventh win by beating Serbia at Wembley on Thursday thanks to goals from Arsenal duo Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze.

Group K, which also comprises Albania, Latvia and Andorra, has proved no challenge for Tuchel’s England despite some disjointed performances in the first couple of match windows.

A thumping 5-0 win in Belgrade in September saw England find another gear and they have largely stayed locked in throughout the subsequent matches.

Tuchel, who is ranked at no.26 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, has overseen seven World Cup qualifying wins out of seven with 20 goals scored and none conceded.

Albania will participate in a play-off to keep their World Cup hopes alive, having secured second place in the group with a win against Andorra on Thursday.