England qualify for World Cup with two games to spare as Latvia brushed aside

Dominant Three Lions seal top spot in Group K as Harry Kane continues superb start to season in Riga rout

At the double: Harry Kane scored twice as England eased past Latvia in Riga

Action Images via Reuters

England have qualified for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare thanks to a commanding 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga.

The Three Lions headed to the Daugava Stadium on Tuesday night knowing that a fourth consecutive victory would officially seal their spot in next summer’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, following Group K rivals Albania’s 1-0 triumph over Serbia at the weekend.

And England duly brushed aside their hosts ranked at 137th in the world by FIFA , Harry Kane scoring twice after Anthony Gordon’s opener to go along with Eberechi Eze’s effort and an unfortunate own goal by Maksims Tonisevs.

England, who welcome Serbia to Wembley next month before finishing their qualifying campaign away in Albania, won’t have to wait long to discover their World Cup opponents, with the draw for the group stage of the expanded 48-team tournament set to take place on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

England Harry Kane Anthony Gordon Eberechi Eze World Cup Late Winner