The changes made to the international calendar arising from the new Nations League competition means that 2019 runs to a tight schedule for Gareth Southgate and his England team as they aim to lift silverware in Portugal in the summer and also qualify for Euro 2020.
All of the matches in England’s Euro 2020 qualifying group will take place between March and November 2019 with double-headers for the Three Lions in each of the international windows except for when they take part in the Nations League Finals (qualification for which means they are in a five rather than six-team Euro 2020 group).
The qualification draw threw up a new opponent for England as they will face Kosovo twice this year, at Wembley on 10 September and then in the capital city of Pristina at the newly-renovated Fadil Vokrri Stadium on 17 November.
Having been given permission by FIFA, in 2014, to play friendlies initially, the Dardanians embarked on their first competitive campaign for the 2016 World Cup.
And the quality available in the country was shown by their recent Nations League performances with four wins and two draws enabling them to top their League D group and earn a guaranteed play-off place to qualify for the Euros if they do not finish in the top two of the qualifying group.