2026 World Cup Qualifiers: England See Off Latvia to Pull Clear at the Top
England made it six points from two matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, comfortably defeating Albania and Latvia to take an early lead in Group K.
Facing a deep defensive block from the visitors, Thomas Tuchel’s side found it tough to carve out clear-cut chances early on. Latvia’s game plan was clear: sit deep and frustrate. And it almost worked for the first 45 minutes—until a moment of brilliance from Reece James. The defender curled a stunning free-kick over the wall and into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Pāvels Šteinbors rooted to the spot.
As the second half wore on, Latvia began to fade physically, and the gaps started to appear. England seized the moment. On 68 minutes, Harry Kane doubled the lead, tapping in Declan Rice’s low cross. Just seven minutes later, Eberechi Eze added a third with a fine solo run down the left, firing home past three defenders to cap off the performance.
Final score: England 3-0 Latvia. The result sends England to the top of the group, with their next match away to Andorra on June 7.
FIFA World Cup 2026, Qualifiers
England - Latvia 3:0 (1:0)
Goals: James R., 38 (1:0); Kane, 68 (2:0); Eze, 75 (3:0)
England: Pickford; Guehi; James R.; Konsa; Lewis-Skelly (Walker, 79); Rice (Henderson, 79); Bellingham (Foden, 67); Bowen (Eze, 60); Kane; Rogers M.; Rashford (Jones Cur., 79)
Bench: Trafford; Henderson D.; Burn; Colwill; Quansah; Gibbs-White; Solanke
Yellow Cards: Bellingham 42
Latvia: Zviedris; Balodis (Sliede, 83); Černomordijs; Zelenkovs Dmitrijs; Ikaunieks J. (Melniks, 83); Savaļnieks (Jagodinskis, 54); Saveljevs A.; Ciganiks; Jurkovskis (Dašķevičs, 61); Jaunzems; Gutkovskis (Šits, 61)
Bench: Matrevics; Ozols; Isajevs V.; Maksims; Vapne; Krollis
Yellow Cards: Melniks 85; Šits 89
