England qualify for 2026 World Cup after 5-0 Latvia win

England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday, becoming the first European nation to book a place in next summer’s expanded tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, Harry Kane added two goals before halftime, Maksims Tomisevs diverted a clearance into his own net and Eberechi Eze completed the rout late on as Thomas Tuchel’s side completed a perfect Group K campaign.

The victory left England with six wins from six in Group K, 18 points, 18 goals scored and a sixth successive clean sheet in qualification. Albania, second in the group, can no longer catch England for the top spot, guaranteeing England automatic qualification for the 48-team finals. England will still play two remaining group fixtures in November, including a home match against Serbia.

Kane’s contribution in Riga extended several personal records. The Bayern Munich striker scored on the cusp of halftime with a powerful strike and converted a penalty shortly after to complete his brace. The goals marked the first player-record number of multi-goal games for England, and he overtook Gary Lineker’s long-standing mark for...