England have officially become the first European team to book their place at the FIFA World Cup 2026, following a dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia at Wembley Stadium.

Under the guidance of head coach Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions delivered a statement performance in front of a jubilant London crowd. The night belonged to captain Harry Kane, who marked his return to the starting XI with a clinical brace just before half-time. The Bayern Munich striker opened his account with a pinpoint strike from the edge of the box, before confidently converting a VAR-awarded penalty moments later.

The scoring was opened by Anthony Gordon, whose sharp finish settled any early nerves. In the second half, a Latvian own goal from defender Tonishev and a composed effort from Eberechi Eze sealed the emphatic result for England.

Harry Kane continued his red-hot form, extending his scoring streak to eight consecutive competitive matches across club and country—an ominous sign for defences heading into next summer's tournament.

FIFA World Cup 2026, Qualifiers

Latvia - England 0:5 (0:3)
Goals: Gordon A., 26 (0:1); Kane, 44 (0:2); Kane, 45 (penalty) (0:3); Maksims, 58 (own goal) (0:4); Eze, 86 (0:5)

Latvia: Zviedris; Balodis; Veips; Černomordijs; Ikaunieks J. (Grabovskis, 88); Jurkovskis (Maksims, 46); Ciganiks; Zelenkovs Dmitrijs; Vapne (Saveljevs A., 73); Gutkovskis (Regza, 73); Varslavans (Dašķevičs, 66)
Substitution: Maksims (from 46); Dašķevičs (from 66); Saveljevs A. (from 73); Regza (from 73); Grabovskis (from 88)
Bench: Orols; Matrevics; Jagodinskis; Penkevics; Melniks; Savaļnieks; Pūlis
Yellow Cards: Ciganiks 31; Balodis 41; Černomordijs 45; Regza 87

England: Pickford; Konsa; Lewis-Skelly; Stones (Burn, 71); Spence D.; Rice (Henderson, 60); Saka B. (Bowen, 60); Anderson E.; Kane; Rogers M. (Eze, 60); Gordon A. (Rashford, 71)
Substitution: Henderson (from 60); Eze (from 60); Bowen (from 60); Burn (from 71); Rashford (from 71)
Bench: Henderson D.; Trafford; Guehi; Gibbs-White; Loftus-Cheek; O'Reilly
Yellow Cards: Konsa 87