October 15, (THEWILL) — England confirmed their place in the 2026 World Cup after defeating Latvia 5-0 in Riga on Tuesday evening. Thomas Tuchel’s side required only a victory to guarantee qualification, and they delivered an accomplished performance that never looked in doubt.
Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock in the 26th minute before captain, Harry Kane, struck from distance to double the advantage. Kane added his second from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after VAR identified a foul by Antonijs Cernomordijs, sending England into the interval with a commanding three-goal cushion.
Jordan Pickford extended his clean sheet run to nine consecutive matches, aided by an excellent goal-line clearance from Ezri Konsa, who denied Vladislavs Gutkovskis. Latvia’s frustration deepened in the 58th minute when Maksims Tonisevs turned the ball into his own net.
Eberechi Eze completed the scoring four minutes from full time, cutting inside from the left flank before finishing confidently. The forward had previously netted his maiden England goal against the same opponents in March.
The result ensures England will compete at next year’s tournament, with Tuchel guiding his team through the qualification campaign without complications. Kane’s double takes his international tally higher whilst the overall display demonstrated the squad’s strength heading into the finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
