The England national football team has officially become the first European nation to secure a spot at the FIFA World Cup 2026. This achievement follows their dominant 5-0 victory over Latvia, which solidified their position at the top of Group K in the ongoing qualification rounds.
Beyond Europe, the qualification landscape for the 2026 tournament is rapidly taking shape across other confederations. From Asia, eight teams have already confirmed their participation, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who earned their places by topping their respective groups in the fourth qualification round. Similarly, in Africa, nine nations have punched their tickets to the joint-hosted tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Senegal among those who successfully secured their berths.
England’s decisive win against Latvia took place on October 14 as part of the European qualification matches. The visiting English side netted five goals, with captain Harry Kane contributing two, while Anthony Gordon and Eze each scored one. An unfortunate own goal from Latvian player Maksims Tonisevs completed the scoreline. This resounding 5-0 victory was more than enough to confirm the Three Lions’ place in the upcoming global football spectacle.
Under the guidance of manager Thomas Tuchel, England has maintained a perfect record throughout their qualification campaign, winning all six of their matches and accumulating a maximum of 18 points. This commanding lead in Group K means they are uncatchable, despite having two matches still to play. Albania, currently in second place with 11 points, cannot mathematically overtake England. Serbia, sitting in third with 10 points, remains the only team that can challenge Albania for the second-place spot, which would earn them a place in the play-off rounds. Latvia and Andorra have been eliminated from contention.
England’s qualification marks them as the first of Europe’s 16 allocated spots for the 2026 World Cup, an event that will notably expand to feature 48 participating teams for the first time. Alongside the host nations—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—45 other countries will represent FIFA’s six confederations. As of October 15, a total of 25 teams had successfully navigated their qualification paths, with all direct qualifiers from Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America now confirmed, pending only inter-confederation play-off matches.
Asia, allocated 8.5 qualification spots, has seen eight teams advance: Japan, South Korea, Australia, Uzbekistan, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Iraq and the United Arab Emirates will compete for the half-spot, leading to an inter-confederation play-off. Africa, with 9.5 spots, has confirmed nine qualifiers: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. Gabon, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo, and Cameroon are still in contention for Africa’s remaining play-off spot.
From Oceania, New Zealand has secured its place. Latin America, with 6.5 allocated spots, has seen six teams qualify directly: defending champions Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, and Ecuador. Bolivia has earned the right to compete in the inter-confederation play-offs.
