10/14/25 04:16:00
Printable Page
10/14 16:14 CDT England reaches 2026 World Cup by routing Latvia. Ronaldo and
Portugal miss chance to clinch a spot
England reaches 2026 World Cup by routing Latvia. Ronaldo and Portugal miss
chance to clinch a spot
By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
England became the first country from Europe to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
on Tuesday but Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will have to wait after conceding
a stoppage-time equalizer against Hungary.
England won 5-0 at Latvia, with captain Harry Kane scoring twice in the first
half, to assure first place in its group with two matches to spare. The
English, who will be appearing at an eighth straight World Cup, haven't
conceded a goal in six matches in qualifying so far under German coach Thomas
Tuchel.
"Sometimes we make it look easy," said Kane, who already has a combined 21
goals for England and Bayern Munich this season, "but these groups and games
can be tough. ... We talk about high standards no matter who we play against to
keep the momentum, and that showed."
Portugal looked set to join England in next year's tournament in North America
after two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo established a 2-1 lead over Hungary in
Lisbon. A win would have guaranteed Portugal a first-place finish but Dominik
Szoboszlai made it 2-2 in the first minute of added-on time.
Ronaldo at least left the match with another scoring record. He now has 41
goals in World Cup qualifiers, breaking a tie for 39 he had with Guatemala
player Carlos Ruiz.
Italy guaranteed itself at least a place in the playoffs after beating Israel
3-0 in a match laced with tension, played amid a hefty police and military
presence, and preceded by a pro-Palestinian march attended by an estimated
10,000 people.
The match was placed in the highest risk category despite a breakthrough
ceasefire deal that has paused two years of war in Gaza.
The second-placed Azzurri moved three points behind Norway, which has a much
healthier goal difference. Both teams have two matches left next month,
including a game against each other in Italy in the final round of qualifiers.
Spain stayed top of its group, three points clear of Turkey, by beating
Bulgaria 4-0. Turkey also won, 4-1 at home to Georgia.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
|
