ENGLAND became the first European nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday (Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025, PH time), while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal were forced to wait after conceding a stoppage-time equalizer to Hungary.
England secured its place with a commanding 5-0 victory over Latvia, as captain Harry Kane scored twice in the first half to lead the unbeaten team to the top of its group with two matches remaining.
The English, who will appear in their eighth straight World Cup, have yet to concede a goal in six qualifiers under German coach Thomas Tuchel.
“Sometimes we make it look easy,” said Kane, who has 21 goals this season for England and Bayern Munich. “These groups and games can be tough. We talk about high standards no matter who we play against, and that showed today.”
In Lisbon, Portugal looked poised to join England before Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai struck in added time to earn a 2-2 draw and delay the hosts’ qualification.
Ronaldo had earlier scored twice to overturn Attila Szalai’s early header for Hungary, giving Portugal a 2-1 lead and extending his own record-breaking tally to 143 international goals.
The 40-year-old forward also set another milestone—his 41st career goal in World Cup qualifying—breaking the previous record of 39 held by Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz.
According to UEFA, Ronaldo has now scored at least twice in a match for Portugal on 37 occasions. The Portuguese need only a point from their next fixture in Ireland on Nov. 13 to seal their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance.
Elsewhere, Italy, which missed the past two World Cups, ensured at least a playoff berth after a 3-0 win over Israel in Rome.
The match, played under heavy security and following a pro-Palestinian march of about 10,000 people, was categorized as high-risk despite a recent ceasefire agreement that paused two years of conflict in Gaza.
The Azzurri sit second in their group, three points behind Norway, which has a superior goal difference. Both teams have two games left next month, including a decisive head-to-head in Italy in the final round of qualifiers.
In another group, Spain stayed perfect with a 4-0 win over Bulgaria to remain three points clear of Turkey, which defeated Georgia 4-1 at home and looks on course for a playoff spot. / From the wires