HOME COULD BE WHERE THE HURT IS

Tuchel in Zurich, where England risk meeting some familiar foes

- JOHN CROSS

THOMAS TUCHEL is set to discover his route to the World Cup - and is braced for a Battle of Britain.

Tuchel will be at FIFA headquarters in Zurich today with England among the 12 top seeds for the European qualifying draw. England's manager-in-waiting - he starts officially on January 1 - will head up a delegation from the FA.

The FA will then be able to map out England's path to the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. And while the Three Lions are in with the big guns like Germany, Spain and Italy, the other home nations are not among the top seeds.

Wales are in pot two while Northern Ireland and Scotland as well as Republic of Ireland - are in pot three. That means England could get Wales and one of the other three nations in their qualifying campaign, which will be played out in 2025.