England will host Uruguay and Japan in a pair of friendly matches at Wembley Stadium in March 2026 as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup in North America. The Football Association (FA) announced the fixtures on Wednesday, confirming that these will be the final opportunities for players to impress manager Thomas Tuchel before he selects his 26-man World Cup squad in May.

The Three Lions are scheduled to face Uruguay on Friday, March 27, followed by a match against Japan on Tuesday, March 31. Both matches will kick off at 7:45 PM. These games are strategically scheduled to provide England with valuable experience against non-European opposition, as they prepare for the challenges of the World Cup.

Tuchel expressed his satisfaction with the choice of opponents, noting that both Uruguay and Japan are ranked in the top 20 globally. Uruguay currently holds the 16th position, while Japan is ranked 18th. He emphasized the importance of testing the team against strong, diverse teams. "We are very happy to have these two matches confirmed as we prepare for our World Cup year,” Tuchel stated. “We aimed to compete against two teams in the top 20 globally, while also challenging ourselves against non-European opponents."

England's last encounter with Uruguay resulted in a 2-1 loss during the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Luis Suarez scored twice in that match to eliminate England from the competition. They have faced Japan three times, with their most recent match occurring in 2010, a friendly in Graz, Austria, which England won 2-1.

The matches were agreed upon months ago between the FA and the federations of Uruguay and Japan. Confirmation was delayed until after last week's World Cup draw to ensure that England would not face any of their group-stage opponents in a friendly game leading up to the tournament. England finds themselves in Group L at the World Cup, alongside Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. Their first match is scheduled for June 17, 2026, against Croatia in Dallas.

These Wembley friendlies will be the last time Tuchel's team plays at home before the World Cup. Following the March friendlies, the squad is also expected to participate in two additional warm-up matches in the United States before the World Cup. Tuchel will announce his final 26-man squad for the World Cup in May, shortly before these final friendly games. England waltzed through World Cup qualification with a 100 percent record.