England secured its place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday, continuing its unbeaten run in qualifiers.
Captain Harry Kane scored twice, bringing his international goal tally to 76. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 25th minute with a powerful strike past Latvia’s Krisjanis Zviedris. Kane added two more before halftime—first capitalizing on a defensive error and then converting a penalty after being fouled in the box.
In the second half, Djed Spence’s cross forced an own goal from Maksims Tonisevs in the 57th minute. Substitute Eberechi Eze sealed the win with a well-placed fifth goal late in the match.
England World Cup Qualification was never in doubt during this campaign. Under manager Thomas Tuchel, the team has collected a perfect 18 points from six matches in Group K, with Albania trailing at 11 points.
Kane praised the team’s consistency, saying, “Another tournament, we make it look easy, but we have to fully focus on every game. It’s about setting a high standard and keeping the momentum.”
Tuchel expressed satisfaction with the squad’s performance. “A top performance, a top result, six wins, six clean sheets, so very happy,” he said. “We play a high press and a physical game, but everyone buys into it.”
England has now gone 37 World Cup qualifiers unbeaten since 2009 and extended its overall qualifying streak—including European Championships—to 57 matches since 2015.
With qualification secured, England turns its attention to preparing for the finals in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, aiming to end its major trophy drought since the 1966 World Cup.
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