England seals World Cup spot after 5-0 win against Latvia

England has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a thumping 5-0 win against Latvia on Tuesday. Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze found the back of the net for the Three Lions, with Kane scoring a brace.

Maksims Toņiševs scored an own goal to add to Latvia’s misery. The next year FIFA showpiece will be hosted collectively by the United States, Mexico and Canada next summer.

“Brilliant. Such a good mood in the dressing room. It feels very different because it is our dream to go to America and now we made it with another good performance and top result. Very happy,” England head coach Thomas Tuchel told ITV.

“We are dominant in games, we are hungry. We have a lot of ball wins in the opponent’s half. It is good. We are on our way.

“It is a club feel because we play very aggressive with a high press. It is a very physical game. Everyone needs to buy into the idea because otherwise you cannot press so high. The guys train on a high level and the group is a very good group and it is a pleasure to coach them.

“Step by step we are getting there.”

England will end their qualifying campaign with games against Serbia on Nov. 13 and Albania on Nov. 16.

England last won the World Cup in 1966 when they defeated arch-rivals West Germany by 4-2. In Qatar 2022, England lost against France in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

England suffered a 2-1 loss against Spain in the final of the Euros 2024 and they would look to go deep in the next year’s World Cup. Furthermore, England lost to Italy on penalties in the final of Euros 2020.