All roads lead to the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Thomas Tuchel getting one last chance to fine-tune his England squad before the quest for World Cup glory begins.

Tuchel has named an expanded 35-man squad for the Three Lions' upcoming friendlies, the first of which takes place on Friday, with Uruguay the visitors to Wembley Stadium.

Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold is the most notable absentee, while Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa and Bournemouth's Alex Scott were also overlooked by the England boss. 

Jarell Quansah and Eberechi Eze have both withdrawn through injury, handing Ben White and Harvey Barnes a shot at impressing Tuchel ahead of the summer. 

It is the first time the England squad have convened since November, when Harry Kane's brace sealed a 2-0 win away to Albania, completing a perfect qualifying campaign.

England have now won their last 10 competitive matches without conceding a goal, equalling the record by a European nation, with Spain doing so between October 2014 and June 2016.

But they come up against a Uruguay side, coached by Marcelo Bielsa, which finished fourth in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings.

With the help of Opta data, we take a look at the key insights into the first meeting between these teams since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. 

What's expected?

The Opta supercomputer has run 10,000 pre-match simulations and assigns England a 58.4% chance of claiming victory. 

Uruguay, meanwhile, are handed a 19.9% win probability, while a draw is given a 216% likelihood.

This is the first game between England and Uruguay since the Three Lions were beaten 2-1 at the 2014 World Cup, sealing their premature exit from that tournament.

England have just a 27% win ratio against Uruguay (P11 W3), having only recorded lower against Brazil (15%, P27 W4) and Romania (25%, P12 W3) among nations they have faced 10+ times.

Two of the four previous games between England and Uruguay at Wembley have ended 0-0, with those goalless matches coming at the 1966 World Cup and in a 1995 friendly.

Uruguay are one of only three nations England have drawn more than one game 0-0 against at Wembley, along with Wales (three) and Sweden (two).

However, England have won two of their last 11 matches against South American nations (D5 L4), beating Brazil in February 2013 and Peru in May 2014.

They are winless in five since that victory over Peru (D3 L2), but they will be hoping to put that run to bed before taking on Japan next Tuesday. 

England aiming to start 2026 on a high

Tuchel was handed a contract extension earlier this year that will keep him in charge of the Three Lions until after Euro 2028.

But the German knows England head into this year's World Cup with plenty of pressure on their shoulders.

England were the first European nation to qualify for the competition, and they did so in emphatic style. 

They breezed through qualifying with a 100% record, without conceding a single goal. It is the second time they have qualified for a World Cup without shipping a goal, after doing so for the 1990 tournament.

But that is all in the past, and now the preparations begin in earnest.

England have won their first match of the calendar year in 11 of the last 13 years (L2), though one of their defeats in this 13-year run was against a South American side at Wembley, losing 1-0 to Brazil in 2024.

Tuchel will, however, be confident of getting off to a solid start here, given only Croatia (26), Netherlands (27), Belgium (29) and Norway (37) scored more than England's 22 in the UEFA section of qualifying. 

And though all the talk will be around Kane and his impressive statistics for club and country this season, plenty of other attackers will want to have their say. 

Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon has scored 10 goals across all competitions in 2026, with only Joao Pedro (11) netting more among Premier League players during this calendar year.

England took a little while to click into gear when it came to attacking under Tuchel, but their defence has been consistently superb.

The Three Lions have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 12 matches, including the last six in a row since a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in June 2025.

Another shutout in this game will equal the Three Lions' record for consecutive clean sheets (seven), set between June and July 2021.

Bielsa back on British shores

Bielsa last graced the touchline in England in February 2022 in what proved to be his final match in charge of Leeds United, which ended in a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham. 

The 70-year-old spent four years at Elland Road, leading the club back to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, before he was sacked four years ago. 

He took charge of Uruguay in May 2023 and helped La Celeste to a third-placed finish at the Copa America the following year, as well as comfortably qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. 

But this is not the first time Bielsa has squared off against the Three Lions. 

Bielsa will manage his third game against England – he drew 0-0 at Wembley in February 2000 and lost 1-0 at the 2002 World Cup as Argentina boss.

This game will be 26 years and 32 days since his last game at Wembley, a record for a coach in games versus England – Bernd Stange has the current record (25 years and 32 days, Sept 1984 with East Germany – Oct 2009 with Belarus).

Uruguay lost their last match, suffering a 5-1 defeat to the United States, with Bielsa out to ensure a return to winning ways. 

They have not lost consecutive games since losing four in a row between October and November 2021 in their final four games under Oscar Tabarez.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

England – James Garner

Garner has had a stellar season for Everton, and has been rewarded by his first international call-up.

A day after the England squad was announced, Garner demonstrated his quality with an exquisite pass through to Beto, who scored Everton's opener in a 3-0 win over Chelsea.

Garner has now assisted six Premier League goals this term, having made just four assists across his first three campaigns combined with the Toffees. If he does get a chance to show what he can do in midfield, he will be eager to stake his claim for a spot on the plane to North America in June.

Uruguay – Darwin Nunez

Across the entire CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign, only Enner Valencia (eight), James Rodriguez, Luis Diaz (both 10) and Lionel Messi (11) recorded more goal involvements than Uruguay's Darwin Nunez (seven).

Nunez netted 51 goals and provided 23 assists in 161 appearances during three years at Liverpool, and he will be keen to make his mark upon his return to England.