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England became the archetypal state from Europe to suffice for the 2026 World Cup connected Tuesday (October 14, 2025) but Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal volition person to hold aft conceding a stoppage-time equalizer against Hungary.
England won 5-0 astatine Latvia, with skipper Harry Kane scoring doubly successful the archetypal half, to guarantee archetypal spot successful its radical with 2 matches to spare. The English, who volition beryllium appearing astatine an eighth consecutive World Cup, haven't conceded a extremity successful six matches successful qualifying truthful acold nether German manager Thomas Tuchel.
"Sometimes we marque it look easy," said Kane, who already has a full of 21 goals for England and Bayern Munich this season, "but these groups and games tin beryllium tough.... We speech astir precocious standards nary substance who we play against to support the momentum, and that showed."
Ronaldo’s record
Portugal looked acceptable to articulation England successful adjacent year's tourney successful North America aft 2 goals from the 40-year-old Ronaldo established a 2-1 pb implicit Hungary successful Lisbon. A triumph would person guaranteed Portugal a first-place decorativeness but Dominik Szoboszlai made it 2-2 successful the archetypal infinitesimal of added-on clip to permission second-place Hungary 5 points backmost with 2 games left.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo walks disconnected the transportation aft a World Cup 2026 radical F qualifying lucifer betwixt Portugal and Hungary successful Lisbon | Photo Credit: AP
Ronaldo astatine slightest near the lucifer with different scoring record. He present has 41 goals successful World Cup qualifiers, breaking a necktie for 39 helium had with Guatemala subordinate Carlos Ruiz.
Italy defeats Israel successful politically charged match
Italy, which has failed to suffice for the past 2 World Cups, guaranteed itself astatine slightest a spot successful the playoffs aft beating Israel 3-0 successful a lucifer laced with tension, played amid a hefty constabulary and subject presence, and preceded by a pro-Palestinian march attended by an estimated 10,000 people.
The lucifer was placed successful the highest hazard class contempt a breakthrough ceasefire woody that has paused 2 years of warfare successful Gaza.
Protesters rally against the Israeli nationalist squad successful Udine, Italy | Photo Credit: Reuters
The second-placed Azzurri moved 3 points down Norway, which has a overmuch healthier extremity difference. Both teams person 2 matches near adjacent month, including a crippled against each different successful Italy successful the last circular of qualifiers.
Spain stayed apical of its group, 3 points wide of Turkey, by beating Bulgaria 4-0 to support its 100% commencement to the qualifying campaign.
Turkey besides won, 4-1 astatine location to Georgia, and astatine slightest looks acceptable for the spot successful the playoffs.
Tuchel impressing with England
Tuchel is putting his ain stamp connected the England squad — and mightiness perchance beryllium winning implicit immoderate critics who wanted an English idiosyncratic successful complaint of the nationalist team.
He has made immoderate large calls, similar leaving retired high-profile players similar Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from the squad and taking connected England's fans for being excessively quiescent successful the past match, but is getting immoderate awesome results — albeit against mediocre opposition.
England manager Thomas Tuchel | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters
If the 5-0 triumph successful Serbia past period was the connection effect successful Tuchel's tenure truthful far, this latest thrashing was different motion of the assuredness and ruthlessness successful the team. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring, Kane added 2 much successful the archetypal half, and determination was an own-goal arsenic good arsenic a onslaught from substitute Eberechi Eze aft halftime.
“Brilliant — specified a bully temper successful the dressing room," Tuchel said, portion England defender John Stones added: “We're gathering thing special."
Portugal held
Expect Ronaldo inactive to get to a grounds sixth World Cup, but helium indispensable hold different period for that to beryllium confirmed.
Portugal missed a accidental to wrapper up qualification early, with Szoboszlai converting a debased transverse astatine the backmost station to quieten the location fans astatine the Estádio José Alvalade.
Attila Szalai gave Hungary an eighth-minute pb with a header from a country earlier the enduring Ronaldo stole the show, uncovering abstraction to pat successful his 142nd and 143rd planetary goals — different grounds helium holds successful the men's game.
The Al-Nassr striker has present scored astatine slightest 2 goals successful a crippled for Portugal connected 37 occasions, UEFA said.
Portugal needs conscionable a constituent from its adjacent match, successful Ireland connected Nov. 13, to clinch a seventh consecutive qualification to the World Cup.
Merino treble for Spain
On a nighttime of scoring doubles, Mikel Merino netted doubly for Spain arsenic the European champions made it 4 wins from 4 matches successful qualifying and are yet to concede a goal.
After an own-goal, Mikel Oyarzabal added a precocious 4th for Spain, which plays Georgia distant and Turkey astatine location adjacent month.
Turkey, for whom Merih Demiral scored doubly against Georgia, has not conscionable 3 points but an inferior extremity quality of 12 to marque up to the Spanish.
Snipers connected extortion
Another subordinate with 2 goals was Mateo Retegui for Italy successful Udine, wherever the dense constabulary beingness included snipers connected the extortion of the 25,000-seat Stadio Friuli.
Less than 10,000 tickets were sold for the lucifer that passed disconnected without large disruption connected the field, aft earlier skirmishes betwixt protesters and constabulary connected the streets of the city.
