England Qualify for 2026 World Cup; Portugal Must Wait

Harry Kane scored twice as England thrashed Latvia 5-0 on Tuesday to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Portugal were held by Hungary and must wait to confirm their place at the finals.

Under Thomas Tuchel, England maintained a perfect record in Group K, claiming six wins from six and guaranteeing top spot with 18 points, seven clear of second-placed Albania.

Match Highlights:

• Anthony Gordon opened the scoring.
• Kane scored a precise finish and then converted a penalty to make it 3-0 at half-time, bringing his tally to 21 goals in 13 games for club and country this season.
• Maksims Tonisevs scored an own goal, and Eberechi Eze added a fifth to complete the rout.

“It comes rarely that you qualify for a World Cup, so the mood is very, very good,” Tuchel said.

All 12 group winners in Europe qualify directly, while runners-up enter play-offs.

Serbia came from behind to defeat Andorra 3-1.

Portugal led 2-1 against Hungary in Lisbon and were poised to secure first place in Group F.

• Attila Szalai gave Hungary the lead.
• Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from Nelson Semedo’s cross, then converted Nuno Mendes’ delivery in first-half stoppage time to set a new international scoring record of 143 goals in 225 appearances.
• Ronaldo now holds the record for most goals in World Cup qualifying, with 41, surpassing Carlos Ruiz of Guatemala (39).
• In injury time, Dominik Szoboszlai scored for Hungary, denying Portugal the win.

Ireland also won 1-0 against Armenia, keeping theoretical hopes alive for Group F.

Italy’s Group I clash with Israel in Udine was overshadowed by pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Thousands marched peacefully, while a small section clashed with police.

Mateo Retegui converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time and added a spectacular strike in the 74th minute. Gianluca Mancini headed in the third goal, ensuring Italy will finish at least second in the group, three points behind leaders Norway with two matches remaining. Estonia and Moldova drew 1-1 in the same group.

Calls have been made for FIFA to exclude Israel from international competition following the military offensive in Gaza after Hamas’ October 2023 attack.

European champions Spain recorded their fourth win from four in Group E, defeating Bulgaria 4-0 in Valladolid.

• Mikel Merino scored two headers, now with six goals in qualifying.
• Atanas Chernev scored an own goal, while Mikel Oyarzabal added a late penalty.

“We don’t have much further to go to get to the World Cup, but it’s not done yet… I hope we keep winning,” Merino told Spanish television.

Spain are three points clear of Turkey, who beat Georgia 4-1 at home with goals from Merih Demiral (2), Kenan Yildiz, and Yunus Akgun.