Click on the 'Watch Live' play icon at the top of this page to watch the latest edition of The Football News Show, which will be focusing on this week's internationals.

The show is due to start at 10:30 GMT.

Host Ben Croucher is joined by BBC Sport's John Bennett and Alex Howell, who will be talking about England's World Cup qualifier against Albania.

Danny Gabbidon and Iwan Roberts will also discuss Wales' World Cup qualifying campaign while Pat Nevin gives his views on Scotland's Nations League victory over Greece in Thursday's opening leg.

England

In case you missed it earlier, here is a reminder of the England's 23-man squad to face Albania at Wembley.

BBC Sport's senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel reported earlier this morning that Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarell Quansah and Aaron Ramsdale will miss out after Tuchel trimmed down his initial selection of 26 players for his first match as England manager:

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Burnley)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)

Another World Cup qualifying campaign is upon us but will England be one of the 48 teams competing in Mexico, USA and Canada next year?

England are currently fourth in Fifa's world rankings and are strong favourites to top Group K.

Here's who they are up against:

• Serbia - 32nd in Fifa's world rankings
• Albania - 65th
• Latvia - 140th
• Andorra - 171st

Let's take a look at some key reminders for the World Cup next year, shall we?

• The World Cup begins in 447 days - on June 11 2026
• It takes place in three nations - Mexico, Canana and the USA
• The final will be taking place in the 82,500 capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey

• The 2026 tournament will see an extended version with 48 teams competing
• Host nations Mexico, Canada and USA have already qualified while Japan booked their spot yesterday

Image source, Getty Images

Before we return to England, just a heads-up that Scotland take their narrow lead into the return leg of their Nations League play-off at Hampden on Sunday (17:00 GMT).

You can watch coverage of that match live on the BBC.

Here is a full round-up of Thursday night's Nations League results:

Nations League quarter-finals, first leg

• Croatia 2-0 France
• Denmark 1-0 Portugal
• Italy 1-2 Germany
• Netherlands 2-2 Spain

Nations League Group A/B play-offs, first leg

• Turkey 3-1 Hungary
• Austria 1-1 Serbia
• Greece 0-1 Scotland
• Ukraine 3-1 Belgium

Nations League Groups B/C play-offs, first leg

• Armenia 0-3 Georgia
• Bulgaria 1-2 Rep of Ireland
• Kosovo 2-1 Iceland
• Slovakia 0-0 Slovenia

Thomas Duncan
BBC Scotland commentator

Scott McTominay's penalty moved Scotland closer to retaining their Nations League A status as they edged past Greece in the first leg of their play-off in Piraeus.

Steve Clarke's side dominated the first half and made the breakthrough when McTominay side-footed home from the spot after the Napoli midfielder collided with Lazaros Rota in the box.

However, the visitors had to survive a second-half onslaught.

And were given a late scare when Greece were awarded a penalty of their own after Grant Hanley felled Taxiarchis Fountas, only for it to be overturned by the video assistant referee because the contact was outside the area.

Scotland managed to hold on from there to ensure McTominay's 11th international goal in 22 matches was the winner.

Before we turn our attention to World Cup qualifying, this international break is also a key one for the Nations League, with the quarter-finals taking place, as well as play-offs to decide promotion and relegation.

Scotland took an important step towards preserving their status in the top tier with a 1-0 win in Greece.

Highlights and report coming up...

Image source, Getty Images

The plan is to bring you up to speed with England's World Cup qualifying campaign this morning - who they are playing, what will be their toughest tests and how qualifying works.

We will also be hosting a live stream of the latest edition of the Football News Show from 10:30 GMT, which will also be focusing on England's qualifying campaign.

And a little later on we will be assessing the England squad - which Thomas Tuchel has trimmed down to 23 players - and ask you to pick your starting XI for tonight's qualifier against Albania.

If you are just joining us, here are some of the topics we have covered so far as we build up to tonight's opening match of England's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Albania at Wembley:

• Gibbs-White, Quansah and Ramsdale miss out on Albania opener
• What did Tuchel say about Southgate's England side?
• Why does Kane feel he is "taken for granted"?

You can have your say on Kane and whether he is underappreciated by England supporters by taking part in the poll at the top of this page.

Ian Dennis
BBC Radio 5 Live senior football reporter

Sitting down with Harry Kane as he embarks on his fifth full qualifying campaign for a major tournament with England, I was left in no doubt his appetite is as strong as ever.

Next week marks the 10th anniversary of his debut against Lithuania and he has no plans to stop what he’s described as an “incredible journey” but wants to continue playing for England “as long as possible”.

Interesting when I spoke about his numbers at Bayern - 76 goals in 82 appearances - saying, “putting those numbers up at 25 years old, everyone would be hoping I stayed around forever”.

A feeling of being underappreciated? Not by Thomas Tuchel, previous managers or his team-mates during his 103 caps and 69 goals since March 27, 2015.

Image source, Getty Images

We have seen at club level - with Ruben Amorim's arrival at Manchester United as a good example - that a new coach can either find a way of playing that suits their best players or ask their players to change their game to suit their favoured system.

It remains to be seen which camp Thomas Tuchel fits into.

How he works with the players he selects in this first camp may give us a better insight.

Of course, another way of working would be to evolve into a preferred system and style of play over time.

Henry Winter
Football writer on BBC Radio 5 Live

If you look at England's strengths really they have to play with a back four. The majority of them are familiar with that.

And then you have to say England's best or most important player is Harry Kane, who will start as a nine.

Tuchel, who knows him from Bayern, has already said Kane needs to stay high up the pitch and needs pace around him. I assume that means an Anthony Gordon-type of player on the left, who's flying at the moment.

And then England's other most important player and truly world-class player is Jude Bellingham - he has to be playing as the 10, with a license to move around, with Declan Rice behind him.

Image source, Getty Images

So what does Harry Kane have to do to earn the recognition he deserves?

Could a Bundesliga/Champions League double, for example, help him to he become the first English player to win the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001?

"I felt that last season - I scored over 40 goals but, obviously, I was never going to win the Ballon d'Or because we didn't win the team trophies.

"Those opportunities are there. That's probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage.

"For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season. That is definitely something I would love to try to achieve."

Image source, Getty Images

England came up just short in the Euro 2024 final against Spain but the tournament wasn't without its criticism for the Three Lions.

Skipper Harry Kane was told he has to "do better" by pundits Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer but the Bayern Munich striker fired back by saying the pundits should "remember what it's like to wear the shirt".

Are pundits and fans too harsh on Kane?

Image source, Getty Images

The poll at the top of the page is coming down in Harry Kane's favour at present, with 61% believing the England captain is underappreciated.

Of course, this debate has not come out of the blue.

The Bayern Munich striker has probably been brooding on this topic since last summer...