England Become First European Nation to Qualify for FIFA World Cup 2026
England have officially become the first European team to book their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026, following a dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia at Wembley Stadium.
Under the guidance of head coach Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions delivered a statement performance in front of a jubilant London crowd. The night belonged to captain Harry Kane, who marked his return to the starting XI with a clinical brace just before half-time. The Bayern Munich striker opened his account with a pinpoint strike from the edge of the box, before confidently converting a VAR-awarded penalty moments later.
The scoring was opened by Anthony Gordon, whose sharp finish settled any early nerves. In the second half, a Latvian own goal from defender Tonishev and a composed effort from Eberechi Eze sealed the emphatic result for England.
Harry Kane continued his red-hot form, extending his scoring streak to eight consecutive competitive matches across club and country—an ominous sign for defences heading into next summer's tournament.
FIFA World Cup 2026, Qualifiers
Latvia - England 0:5 (0:3)
Goals: Gordon A., 26 (0:1); Kane, 44 (0:2); Kane, 45 (penalty) (0:3); Maksims, 58 (own goal) (0:4); Eze, 86 (0:5)
Latvia: Zviedris; Balodis; Veips; Černomordijs; Ikaunieks J. (Grabovskis, 88); Jurkovskis (Maksims, 46); Ciganiks; Zelenkovs Dmitrijs; Vapne (Saveljevs A., 73); Gutkovskis (Regza, 73); Varslavans (Dašķevičs, 66)
Substitution: Maksims (from 46); Dašķevičs (from 66); Saveljevs A. (from 73); Regza (from 73); Grabovskis (from 88)
Bench: Orols; Matrevics; Jagodinskis; Penkevics; Melniks; Savaļnieks; Pūlis
Yellow Cards: Ciganiks 31; Balodis 41; Černomordijs 45; Regza 87
England: Pickford; Konsa; Lewis-Skelly; Stones (Burn, 71); Spence D.; Rice (Henderson, 60); Saka B. (Bowen, 60); Anderson E.; Kane; Rogers M. (Eze, 60); Gordon A. (Rashford, 71)
Substitution: Henderson (from 60); Eze (from 60); Bowen (from 60); Burn (from 71); Rashford (from 71)
Bench: Henderson D.; Trafford; Guehi; Gibbs-White; Loftus-Cheek; O'Reilly
Yellow Cards: Konsa 87
