England secure 2026 World Cup place as Portugal left hanging

Harry Kane netted a brace while England demolished Latvia 5-0 on Tuesday, booking their ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal had to postpone their celebration after drawing with Hungary.

In other matches, pro-Palestinian protests marked Italy's crucial victory against Israel, and Spain moved closer to qualification with a comfortable win over Bulgaria.

Under Thomas Tuchel, England easily overcame Latvia in Riga, achieving six victories from six in Group K and locking in first position ahead of their last two games next month. They sit on 18 points, seven clear of Albania in second.

Anthony Gordon struck first, then Kane delivered a sharp finish and converted a penalty to lead 3-0 at the break. The Bayern Munich forward has tallied 21 goals across 13 outings this season for both club and nation.

Maksims Tonisevs put through his own net, and Eberechi Eze rounded off the scoring with the fifth. England can now anticipate the December draw for the finals next year.

"Qualifying for a World Cup does not happen often, so the atmosphere is excellent," Tuchel remarked.

All 12 European group winners earn direct entry to the World Cup, while the second-placed teams advance to play-offs.

Serbia trail Albania by one point following a comeback 3-1 triumph in Andorra.

Guillaume Lopez put Andorra ahead with an incredible shot from near the halfway line that flew past Serbia's Djordje Petrovic.

Christian Garcia's own-goal levelled things for Serbia, Dusan Vlahovic nodded them ahead, and Aleksandar Mitrovic buried a penalty.

Portugal teetered on securing their place, leading Hungary 2-1 deep into added time in Lisbon. A victory would have sealed top spot in Group F.

Attila Szalai nodded Hungary into the lead, but Ronaldo slotted home Nelson Semedo's low cross to level midway through the opening period.

Ronaldo then finished a cross from Nuno Mendes in first-half stoppage time, elevating the 40-year-old Al Nassr ace to a national record of 143 goals in 225 caps.

He now owns the World Cup qualifying goal record with 41, surpassing Guatemala's retired Carlos Ruiz by two on 39.

Yet Hungary salvaged a point as Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai tapped in from close range in the dying moments.

This leaves Hungary five points adrift of Portugal with two fixtures remaining, so they could still claim Group F leadership. Ireland might also harbour hopes after Evan Ferguson's header clinched a 1-0 win over Armenia, who saw Tigran Barseghyan dismissed.

Demonstrations in Italy

Italy's clash with Israel in Udine began with confrontations between certain pro-Palestinian protesters and authorities, as thousands others marched calmly through the northern Italian city, protesting the decision to host the game.

Demands have grown for FIFA to bar Israel from global tournaments due to its military actions in Gaza after the violent Hamas attack across the border on 7 October 2023.

Heavy security surrounded the Bluenergy Stadium for the Group I encounter, which Italy won 3-0.

The Azzurri are eager to reach the World Cup after missing the previous two tournaments.

Mateo Retegui slotted a penalty in first-half added time and added another with a brilliant strike on 74 minutes.

Gianluca Mancini headed a late third, confirming Italy will end at worst second in the group and now trail Norway by three points with two matches to play.

The sides face each other next month, though Norway's better goal difference positions them for first. In the same group, Estonia and Moldova shared a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

Spain, the European title holders, boast four wins from four in Group E after thrashing Bulgaria 4-0 in Valladolid.

Mikel Merino grabbed two headers and has six qualifying goals in four games. Atanas Chernev deflected into his own net, and Mikel Oyarzabal rounded it off with a late spot-kick.

"We are close to World Cup qualification, but it is not sealed... I hope we continue the wins," Merino said on Spanish TV.

Spain lead Turkey by three points, with the latter prevailing 4-1 at home to Georgia thanks to Merih Demiral's double. Kenan Yildiz and Yunus Akgun also found the net.