Riga, 15 October (H.S.): England sealed qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga, extending their winning streak to six and opening a seven-point lead at the top of their group with two matches to spare.Anthony Gordon opened the scoring before Harry Kane struck a brace, including a first-half penalty, to put England 3-0 up at the interval.

The visitors added two more after the break, via an own goal from Maksims Tonisevs and a composed finish by Eberechi Eze, to complete the rout. Kane’s double lifted his tally to 21 goals in 13 appearances for club and country this season.

“The mood is fantastic because qualifying for a World Cup is always special,” the England head coach said after the match.The result moved England to 18 points and confirmed their spot at the 2026 finals, while the clean sheet underscored their control across the park in Riga.

Elsewhere in Europe on Wednesday (IST), pro-Palestinian demonstrations ahead of the Italy–Israel fixture heightened tensions around the evening’s qualifiers.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar