Thomas Tuchel delivered a rousing team talk as England booked their place at the 2026 World Cup, saying he accomplished a “childhood dream” following the emphatic 5-0 victory over Latvia. The Three Lions will compete at next summer’s tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States after powering through their qualifying group with two games to spare.
Captain Kane scores twice as England seal World Cup spot
England became the first team from Europe to seal their spot at the World Cup in North America after downing Latvia on Tuesday evening. Two goals from Harry Kane and strikes from Anthony Gordon and Eberechi Eze helped Tuchel’s men to victory on a dominant night which saw the travelling supporters play their part. The victory in Riga was England’s six win from as many qualifying games under Tuchel, having also defeated Albania, Andorra (twice), and Serbia, alongside an earlier triumph over Latvia in March.
AdvertisementTuchel and Kane deliver rousing team talks following Latvia victory
And after clinching their World Cup berth, Tuchel was full of praise for his England players, telling a delighted dressing room how competing in the biggest competition in world football was one of his lifelong ambitions.
In a behind-the-scenes video which has now been shared by England, Tuchel began with exuberant clapping and shouting “really nice” towards his charges, before formally addressing them by saying: “One minute, congratulations, six wins, six clean sheets, eighteen points, we are there in the summer, we are there, brilliant.
“My childhood dream to go to the World Cup, I could not be more proud than to go with you guys, we will rock this thing in America next year, okay, let’s go!”
Tuchel was then joined by captain Kane, who urged his team-mates to maintain their focus ahead of England’s remaining two qualifiers against Serbia and Albania in November, stressing the importance of building momentum ahead of the World Cup.
The Bayern Munich striker politely asked “Boys, can I add something?” and after his wish was granted by Tuchel, he continued by saying to the dressing room: “Boys, I think it’s easy to underestimate what we have achieved, you know, six wins, no goals (conceded), sometimes the outside noise will make it seem like 'oh, we just turn up in America and it’s easy', but I think the work we’ve done together, the relationships we’re building, it’s what makes a special team. You know, I said in the last camp, I feel like we’re getting a good momentum going forward and now we continue that, we’re qualified but we go full gas in November, everyone back, everyone ready to go and we carry on like we’re doing.”
Kane joins Ronaldo in elite goalscoring club after Latvia brace
After helping fire England to the World Cup with his brace against Latvia, Kane joined an elite goalscoring club featuring Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo. The 32-year-old is now the fifth top European scorer in international football, having recorded his 75th and 76th goals for England on his 110th appearance for his country. Kane sits behind Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas (84), Poland striker Robert Lewandowski (86), Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku (89) and Ronaldo, who has a whopping 143 goals for Portugal, on the list.
Getty Images SportTuchel takes chants on the chin after criticising England support
Tuchel, meanwhile, was on the receiving end of pointed chants from the good-humoured England faithful at the Daugava Stadium. After criticising the level of support his players received in the 3-0 friendly win over Wales at Wembley Stadium, chants of “Thomas Tuchel, we’ll sing when we want!” and “Thomas Tuchel, are we loud enough for you?” were aimed towards the German in Latvia.
However, Tuchel took the response from the England fans on the chin, saying after the game: "I got a bit of stick today, in the first half, pretty much in every song. So fair enough. Well done. I take it and good humour, good sense of humour. They had a reason today from my last comments and I guess that's fair enough. I got a bit of stick and I found it quite creative. It made me smile and this is how it has to be. It's British humour and I surely can take it. No harm done. It's so important. They are here and I said the support in Serbia was brilliant, and we are very sure the support in America will be absolutely brilliant.”