England seal 2026 World Cup spot, first European nation to qualify

England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a 5-0 victory over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday, becoming the first European nation to book a place in next summer's expanded tournament. Harry Kane returned from a minor calf injury to score twice before halftime, Anthony Gordon opened the scoring and Eberechi Eze added a late fifth as Thomas Tuchel's side wrapped up top spot in Group K with two matches to spare.

Gordon put England ahead in the 26th minute, racing down the left, cutting inside and curling a low shot into the far corner. Kane then drilled in a low finish from distance shortly before halftime and converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time after VAR identified a shirt pull on him in the penalty area. In the second half a Djed Spence cross deflected off Maksims Tonisevs and into his own net, and Eze finished clinically in the 86th minute to complete the scoring. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford preserved another clean sheet as England extended their qualifying streak to six wins without conceding.

Kane's double continued a prolific start to the season; he has scored 21 goals in 13 matches for club and country this term and extended his England total to 76 in 110...