England have secured their place at next summer’s World Cup with two matches to spare after thrashing Latvia 5-0 in Riga.
Harry Kane struck twice, Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze scored, and Maksims Tonisevs turned the ball into his own net to ensure England’s smooth passage.
Thomas Tuchel may have faced stick from the travelling fans after calling the atmosphere at Wembley ‘silent’ last week, but at least he has overcome the first hurdle in qualifying – never a guarantee for major sides, with Italy still sweating over their own hopes.
England knew three points would be enough to become the latest nation to rubber stamp their spot in the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Victory over Latvia maintained England’s perfect qualification campaign to date, with the Three Lions having won all six of their matches without conceding.
The Three Lions still face two qualifiers next month, starting at home to Serbia before travelling away to Albania to round off the campaign.
England seal their place at the 2026 World Cup by thrashing Latvia 5-0 in Riga on Wednesday
The Three Lions sealed qualification with two matches to spare after six consecutive victories
Rather the needing to secure points for qualification, Tuchel and his side will now be able to use the matches to help prepare for next summer’s finals.
Qualification comes nearly a year to the day since Tuchel was named England head coach, with his formal unveiling taking place on October 16 last year.
The German coach was appointed on an 18-month contract, with the FA stating that Tuchel and his team would give England the ‘best possible chance to win the World Cup’.
In his first words as England boss, Tuchel had vowed first to deliver qualification before trying to ‘get a second star on our shirt.’
Having fulfilled the first pledge, Tuchel will now be able to ramp up preparations as he attempts to mastermind England’s first World Cup triumph since 1966.
Tuchel will be looking to get England over the line after several near misses in recent tournaments.
The Three Lions were beaten finalists at Euro 2020 and 2024 under his predecessor Gareth Southgate.
Tuchel has taken bold decisions, including leaving out Jude Bellingham from his latest squad
Southgate had also led England to the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup and the quarter-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Speaking on Monday, Tuchel expressed confidence his England squad ‘are building something’ and ‘are going in the right direction’ with less than eight months until the World Cup.
Tuchel has taken several bold decisions in recent months, most notably leaving out Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham from his squad for this international window.
He has refused to guarantee that Bellingham will be part of his leadership group – alongside captain Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and John Stones – if he returns to the fold.
England will be able to turn their attentions to the World Cup draw, which will take place at the Kennedy Centre in Washington on December 5.
