England 3-0 Latvia
2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers – Group Stage
England made it two wins from two in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, beating Latvia 3-0 thanks to a brilliant free-kick from Reece James, and goals from Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze. This win also stretched England’s unbeaten home run in World Cup qualifiers to 30 matches with 27 wins and 3 draws.
After starting life under new manager Thomas Tuchel with a 2-0 win over Albania, England looked to keep up the momentum with a strong start. As expected, they had most of the ball early on, but Latvia nearly took a surprise lead when Vladislavs Gutkovskis missed a clear chance following a mix-up between Marc Guéhi and Jordan Pickford.
England responded by stepping up the pressure. Ezri Konsa forced a good save from the Latvian goalkeeper Krišjānis Zviedris, and Harry Kane headed over from close range. Just before half-time, Reece James broke the deadlock with a stunning free-kick into the top corner – his first goal for England.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with England in control. Latvia defended well and made it hard for the home side to create clear chances, although Kane came close with a curling shot.
Eventually, England made it 2-0 in the 68th minute. Declan Rice sent in a low cross, and Kane was there at the far post to tap it in for his 71st England goal.
The third came 15 minutes from time, when substitute Eberechi Eze scored his first England goal with a low shot that took a deflection.
England could have scored more, but Zviedris made a couple of good saves late on from Morgan Rogers and Kane. Still, it was a comfortable win in what was the first ever meeting between England and Latvia.
