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England beat Latvia 5-0 in Riga to become the first European team to qualify for the World Cup for the eighth consecutive time with two games remaining.
The Three Lions comfortably beat their Baltic rivals in their first ever meeting to lead 3-0 at half-time for a third consecutive game and set their sights on next summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The unstoppable Harry Kane played a big part in the half-time dominance thanks to a quick double, first converting a penalty from the edge of the area before earning himself a penalty with the help of a VAR review for his 76th international goal.
England once again enjoyed near-total dominance and had not had the same difficulty breaking down opposition defenses as in some of Tuchel’s previous games, even having the ball in the net through Kane in the first minute before an offside flag on Bukayo Saka interrupted their celebrations.
England remained patient despite briefly losing focus and took advantage of a rare Latvian attack to open the door on the counter-attack, with John Stones tapping the ball into the channel, inviting Anthony Gordon to use his pace to cut inside and fire a fine shot home for his second international goal.
Anthony Gordon’s goal was only his second for England
As Latvia looked increasingly stubborn throughout much of the remainder of the second half, visiting supporters began to playfully goad Tuchel after he criticized England’s home game against Wales, chanting “Tuchel, give us a song!” and “1-0 to the library.”
Tuchel later said: “I had some support in the first half, which was fair and well done.” ITV. “It was a great sense of humor. Excellent support throughout.”
Before halftime, the fans’ attention returned to the court. Kane had missed two good opportunities before, but he used his left foot to complete a textbook shot from 20 yards out, which was the most difficult of the three.
It’s just part of a meltdown dubbed ‘madness’ sky sports’ Roy Keane’s main goal at half-time was an unconscious tug on Kane’s shirt in the Latvian penalty area seconds before half-time, an action that was always likely to be spotted by VAR. The skipper converted his 24th England penalty from 28 attempts.
England’s toughest opponent, Ezri Konsa, was caught off guard by Vladislavs Gutkovskis after the break but recovered brilliantly to deny the home team’s top scorer with a brilliant sliding challenge on goal.
The game soon resumed as Krisjanis Zviedris latched on to a pass from Djed Spence and was inadvertently headed into his own net by Maksims Tonisevs, before substitute Eberechi Eze reminded Tuchel of his ability with his fifth goal from Jarrod Bowen.
Delighted Tuchel: We dominated, we were aggressive
England head coach Thomas Tuchel exist ITV:
“We dominated the game, we were hungry. We invested in the ball and we won a lot of the ball in the opposition half.
“For our last goal, Harry Kane came all the way back into his own half after a mistake from his team-mates and helped Ebbs score. We’re delighted and we’re on our way.”
“It’s a club feeling because we play very aggressively with a high press, which is physically demanding, but everyone has to buy into the idea, otherwise you can’t press high. It’s a really good group and it’s a pleasure to coach them.”
Double striker Kane: I’m in the shape of my life
Harry Kane has scored seven goals in seven games for England under Thomas Tuchel
England team leader Harry Kane exist ITV When asked if he was in the best shape he’s ever been:
“I would say the numbers are there, but the way I feel on the field, the way I see the pass, the run game, physically I’m in a good position.
“I’m in a good moment right now and hopefully that continues.”
The 2026 World Cup draw will be held in Washington on December 5.
President Trump will join FIFA President Gianni Infantino to decide on the group stage schedule at the John F. Kennedy Center, a performing arts venue where Trump serves as president.
When Trump announced the draw at the White House in August, he said the World Cup was “the biggest event in sports,” while Infantino declared the 104 games to be like “104 Super Bowls.”
The draw will start at 12pm local time (5pm UK time).
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
This will be the 23rd edition of the event.
