England book their place at the 2026 World Cup

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0:40This is the Football Daily Podcast with Kelly Cates. England have booked their place at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. They wrapped it up with two games to spare thanks to a 5-0 win away in Latvia. Lots of reaction to come with Connor Cody and our commentary team in Riga, Matt Upson, Ian Dennis and John Murray. And there it is. The final whistle goes and with that final whistle we can say that England will be at the World Cup in the Americas in 2026. They've done the job and they've done it in style, winning 5-0 here in the reign of Riga. It feels a world away, the conditions that we're sitting in here from, I don't know, Florida next summer.

1:25Certainly nothing like Kansas will be, which is where England may well be based. but England have qualified for the World Cup with two matches to spare and Thomas Tuchel has achieved his first goal as the England head coach. Yeah, I mean, take away the opposition and just focus on England for a moment and what we're looking from a group of players and a team that can go on and achieve great things in a World Cup. You're seeing really good traits in this team at the moment and I think Thomas Tuchel is going to be very happy, very positive with his team's attitude, application, with the whole display.

2:02They were clinical in front of goal, had some really good movements in and around off the ball, defensively another clean sheet. It's been a good evening. Connor Cody is also with us. Connor, as we've been saying, it was a straightforward win for England but nevertheless an impressive one because they have to go out and they have to do it. Straightforward win, yeah, as we expected, I think, Kelly, but you've still got to go and do the business, you've still got to go and perform, you've still got to go and score goals, you've still got to go and do things the right way and I thought England were fantastic.

2:30What I love most is the reaction when they lost the ball, the professionalism to go and win the ball back, there was always four or five bodies around the ball to win it back and then start another attack and I loved these substitutions after 4-0. I just thought at 4-0 you keep the same players on the pitch, it can just drop a little bit because the game is won, all of a sudden you bring players on the pitch who want to score, can see opportunities to score and we've seen the goals that were added towards the end of the game. So really professional from England. I think it's been a brilliant qualifying campaign.

2:57And listen, it's going to another World Cup and then players will be absolutely over the moon. We're going to be here till 10.30, so we'll have time to go into the details of it. But in terms of going to the World Cup, obviously the draw is not going to be made until the beginning of December. So we don't know who England's opponents are going to be. What we do know, though, is it's a bigger World Cup and there are going to be this kind of game that England potentially are going to be playing in. And there's a different style of football sometimes at World Cups to what there is in the build-up to World Cup.

3:24So it's important that they're prepared for every eventuality. Of course it is. But World Cups are always different to anything. I was lucky enough to obviously go to Qatar. And when you get there, they're the most extraordinary, amazing experiences you will ever have in your life as a player. So for them players now, be excited because, listen, a lot of them have played at major tournaments before. A lot of them are incredible footballers. we all know who they are within the squad but a lot of them will be first time going to a World Cup so get excited, be excited that it's a bigger tournament, be excited there's a lot of travelling or whatever it's going to bring because they are the best experiences you will ever have so it's a brilliant, brilliant achievement for England, something that we expected them to do it was the minimum that we expected but now they've gone and done it without conceding a goal, can they go through the whole campaign now and get it finished off in the right way?

4:10Those England players heading over to the England fans are absolutely drenched in icy cold rain over in Latvia. But as you were saying, Matt, earlier on, the England fans have travelled a long way and it's only right that the players should go over and show their appreciation. But equally, those England fans will be delighted with what they've seen. There was a lot of talk early on in Thomas Tuchel's time that maybe it wasn't the most exciting, that it wasn't the most front foot at times. That there's proof, look, against, we should qualify that by the opposition that they played. But they're showing that they can get it done and they can build that rhythm.

4:43them yeah I agree Kelly and I think that you know it's not easy coming into a fresh group of players as a manager having very limited exposure and having to pick the right team so yes there were some bumps in the road but you feel that he's got a handle on the character of the players and how they react what type of player he wants in the group the balance of the team looks good Anderson again this evening was excellent and like I said to John in the commentary I don't expect massive changes for the next game, I just don't I think when you're in this moment, you're in this rhythm he's set his stall out and it's having a positive impact in terms of the performance of the players so I fully expect the team to be very similar.

5:28But also as well it was against the lesser opposition if you think back to the start of his reign Albania were at home and Latvia at home where they won 2-0 and 3-0. They laboured in Barcelona when they only beat Andorra 1-0 in the qualifier in June. And he was criticised for those performances, Thomas Tuchel, and quite rightly he was criticised. So therefore, when you're playing against the opposition and you're now putting them to the sword, he should be praised because the last three games has seen a marked improvement. Denno, just before you head off, and I know John's gone down to get some interviews and you're going to be going down there very shortly as well, but in terms of the substitutions, that's what Conor mentioned, The fact that at 4-0 up, there was a temptation for England to maybe relax a little bit into the game.

6:12But it was Henderson as a Bowen came on. And he's getting minutes in these plays who could prove crucial when the tournament gets underway. Yeah, and he didn't get that in the second half against Wales. So I think that element would have pleased Thomas Tuchel tonight. Because we talked before ahead of the game about the hidden messages, if you like, for Jude Bellingham. He's been quite clear regarding Marcus Rashford. You know, you can only be a great player if you go and achieve great things. And he says for Marcus Rashford, you know, you've got no limits as far as your career is concerned, but you've got to go out and prove it.

6:48So I think when Marcus Rashford comes on tonight, and Anthony Gordon deserved to start and put in a lively performance and scored a fine goal, Marcus Rashford now knows what he's got to do to try and usurp, dislodge Anthony Gordon from that position. All of a sudden, in the various elements of the England set-up, you can see now where positions are going to be for players competing against each other. And Thomas Tuchel has made a point when it was for the start of these autumn games in September. He said, right, this is where we ramp up the competition. He had a slightly larger squad in June and they went away for some warm training in Barcelona, obviously.

7:29Got John Stones out there as well. He deliberately then reduced the squad size in September. And that's the reason why you've got, there's no Foden and Bellingham and Grealish because he wants to ramp up the competition. He wants to see that hunger and desire from the players who are privileged to wear the shirt now, because if they don't show that, then they won't necessarily keep the shirt. But England know, of course, that they will be heading off to the World Cup next summer. Denny, you're going to be going a little less far presently. You're going to head down and get some of those interviews at the end of England's 5-0 victory against Latvia.

8:03But just to come back to that point, Matt, about the use of the squad by Thomas Tuchel in this victory against Latvia, the fact that he's got players in there, he's giving them minutes, and not just, you know, changing players up with five minutes to go. It's like half an hour for three of them, 20 minutes for a couple of those players in the squad. Just keeping everybody involved as well. Yeah, it'll be for keeping people involved. It'll be for resting players that have had a lot of minutes, having freshness on the pitch like conor mentioned when you go that far up it's easy just to go into cruise control you bring on someone like jordan henderson who's not going to stop talking and driving everything with his voice and getting people around him and and then players coming on wanting to express express themselves to get themselves into the starting lineup so creating healthy competition in an international setup is not that easy because you're not around the players every day you haven't got that ability to to build that so he's actually done that quite quickly thomas tuchel and it might need to be a bit ruthless at times and make you know cut off and tough tough decisions but he's shown that he's more than capable of doing that and he does it in a way that is kind of palatable it's not it's not too brutal even though the decisions are the decision so you know that's that's top level football that's top level competition in anything so I feel the squad has that and it can only be a healthy thing for the group and I think we've got the two perfect guests here to reflect on the fact that England have got through their qualifying group without even conceding a goal, Connor Yeah, it's always nice it's always nice and we listened to Jordan Pickford's interview before the game didn't we, talking about it's a team listen, he will love keeping clean sheets whether he touches the ball once or a hundred times he will love keeping clean sheets and it's always the backdrop isn't it and Big Matt will tell you the same thing as well as defenders as goalkeepers, as a team, you like keeping clean sheets.

9:51It keeps you in a game. And listen, tonight wasn't about staying in the game. Tonight was about going and winning the game and scoring four or five goals and doing what England have done. But it's always nice. And that just keeps on adding to Jordan Pickford's record, doesn't it, in terms of nine now. So let's keep it going for him, mate. Yeah, he's on an incredible run of form in that England goal. But the defence starting to really click, regardless of who Thomas Tuchel is picking in those positions. But that record that England are on, as Denno was saying, England have now scored, Matt, in each of their past 18 matches.

10:20That's the first time they've done that since between 1950 and 1953. And it's been a long, long run in which they've been incredibly successful at both ends of the pitch. Yeah, no, I agree. There's lots of good things to come out of it. I mean, the one thing, and I think this might refer back to the Wembley feel in terms of atmosphere as well. there's been a lot of games in the last couple of years that have been a bit kind of flat in terms of teams coming and being very defensive. And I think those games can lead to being not the most entertaining. They can sometimes draw out drab kind of displays, even though England do win the game and we do keep a clean sheet.

11:00So it can be a little bit misleading to get too excited about those kind of stats. They are really, you know, they're really impressive. but it's about the performances and the style of play and what teams you're playing and the jeopardy in the game that really drives the excitement and puts the players to the test. And while you have to be professional in these fixtures, if you're organised and you're well drilled and you've got a good group together, this England team's got the talent to cruise through these kind of games. It really has and it's shown it in the last three or four matches but when it gets put to the test of those real jeopardy games against top nations, that's when you really see what it's all about and maybe this team doesn't get tested enough like that.

11:44John Murray is talking to Harry Kane. Yes, here is the England captain, Harry Kane, on the night that World Cup qualification has been assured and delivered and you've led from the front, Harry. You did it well, didn't you? Yeah, it was a great game from us. I spoke before about building momentum and no matter who we play, to hold on to that, to hold on to winning games, to hold on to clean sheets, to pressing high, scoring goals. And then we've done all of that. So another great camp. We can be really proud to qualify with two games to spare. It's never as easy as what it looks. You know, a lot of preparation, a lot of hard work goes into what we do.

12:19And ultimately, you know, we have to handle that pressure of being the favourites. And we've done that really well so far. So another tournament to look forward to. Is the best thing about this particular window, the fact that you have been able to follow on and pick up from where you left off in Serbia? Yeah, 100%. And after the Serbia game, I spoke to the group about that, about building the momentum that we're feeling amongst each other, not just on the pitch, but also off the pitch. These camps come around quick. We play so many games at club level before we know it, we're back again. And it's important to keep that ball rolling.

12:50And even though we've qualified now, still two big games in the November camp. And I think we've only got six games from now until the first World Cup game. So every moment counts, every training session, every day together. It's about building something special. And, you know, we've been doing that, especially over the last few camps. So hopefully November will be no different. And of all the many achievements and things that you've done, you know, every single tournament will come European Championship. When England have qualified, you've been on the score sheet, all of them. Oh, really? Yeah, that's right.

13:20On the night it's been done. That's a nice one to have. So, yeah, for me, I always try and celebrate things like it's the first. I spoke before about how proud I am to play for England, and especially in major tournaments. Whether it's your first or whether it's your fifth, sixth, they're all special. I think America next summer will definitely be special, and we'll feel that. Never take these moments for granted. Like I touched on earlier, we spend a lot of time, a lot of hard work together to achieve this. We should celebrate tonight on the plane home, and then look forward to getting back to club level.

13:53Can I just ask as well, the style in which England have played in these recent matches. You know, you found the groove there. You played in America at the FIFA Club World Cup with Bayern Munich last summer. Is it going to be possible to play this style, this high-tempo pressing style, in those conditions? Yeah, I think so. I think sometimes, you know, it sounds like you're taking a high risk or it sounds like you're putting in a lot of effort, but it's sometimes funny. If you do it early and win the ball back quickly, you're the one who actually has a lot of possession. and I think we found that in the summer with Bayern, you know, we ended up having 60-70 % of the ball, which is probably the most important thing when you're playing in that heat, making the other team run.

14:31So, yeah, and of course, sometimes the opposition are always going to break the press and you have to run back. But ultimately, I think if you get it right, you will actually win it back quicker and then you'll keep more possession. So that's our aim. We want to be an aggressive team. We've shown that in the last few games, especially. And yeah, we're going to, of course, come up against tougher tests and better teams. So all of this is just great practice for when that comes. Well done tonight and enjoy the moment with the teammates. Thank you. Thanks, Harry Kane, England captain. Thank you very much, John Murray.

14:59Really interesting couple of points that he made in that interview, Matt. One of them was about building momentum, that he said they're feeling on and off the pitch. It's not just about the fact this is job done, then they've got the games to come at home to Serbia and then away in Albania in the November international break. And then I think it's four games between then and the start of the World Cup. He said this isn't about just filling that time and using this to experiment. This is about building momentum ahead of a tournament. Yeah, very much feels like that. It's not about filling the time and discovering and, well, should we have a look at this?

15:33Or should we try that out? No, I think it's like this is us. This is what we're doing. Let's just get better at that. Let's get better at being us. And whether it is that press where they win it back, I completely agree with his point that he's made to John's question there in the sense that if you can win the ball back quicker, is going to save you overall in the game more energy and more running if you can win it back quicker because you have the ball again and then you go again. So if that is something that England are going to work at out of possession, which I think is a great thing and a trait of a top team, then brilliant.

16:06And I think they've showed that again this evening, the intensity of getting after the ball when they've lost it. Jed Spence did really well with that. All the players did well with it. Anderson reads it so well. So, yeah, I think just hone in on being the team that they are right now. Keep getting better at what they're doing. And, you know, they're going to go into that tournament in a good place. Matt, we're going to bring in Anthony Gordon now with John Murray. Yes, well, the man who opened the scoring for England tonight, Anthony Gordon, has just crept up on my blind side. Great to be involved on a night when England qualify for the World Cup, I'm sure, Anthony.

16:39No, amazing. It's something I've dreamed of since a kid. Probably didn't hit me until I got in the changing room, and seeing everyone celebrating because we have a job to do and you're sort of so focused on doing that. So when we go into the changing room, I've seen everyone celebrating, the music was on, yeah, that's going to hit me. You said, didn't you, to us in the build-up to this, to these two matches, that you felt you wanted to do more with England and you must feel that you have gone somewhere to delivering that in these last two matches, yes? Yeah, I think so. I think definitely the last three performances have been my best for England and I think they've got progressively better.

17:12but again I can't rest on that I still feel like I can do more, I still feel like today I could have scored two, got an assist or two so if I want to be a really top top elite world level winger I've got more to do. And of course the competition in your area of the field is intense isn't it? And you know it's now World Cup places we're talking about. Yeah I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm not scared of competition at all, I don't mind it, I think it pushes me to be better, I think it pushes us all to be better so definitely not something I'm scared of and more something I cherish. What would it mean to you to go to a World Cup?

17:45Everything. I think every young lad in England dreams of playing in the World Cup for England so there's not many words you can use to describe that feeling. It would mean putting on a shirt in one of them games so listen it starts in November. Actually it starts back at club level so I'm not lost on the competition. I'm not lost on the fact that being successful in the qualifiers means we get on a plane. That's definitely not the case. I need to go back to club, perform and get in the next camp. Well done tonight and enjoy the moment. Anthony Gordon, thank you very much, Anthony, just disappearing off.

18:18Thank you very much. We've got Thomas Tuchel not a million miles away, Kelly, as well. Congratulations. You've made it look easy, qualification for a World Cup, but it doesn't look easy. It is never easy, even if it looks easy. We put a lot of work in, even today, again today, in the high press. They played with a lot of short passes and a lot of short distances in the beginning. We expected more long balls and the reaction was good. We just kept on investing and another excellent team performance. It's a special moment. It comes rarely that you qualify for a World Cup, so the mood is very, very good.

19:04Of course, in the dressing room, it's all smiles, music and it's a moment to enjoy because it's a special moment. So the celebration will be there, you said you might celebrate like Senegal did. Almost, you can see that means a lot and it is different and you cannot create it artificially. It comes naturally and it's so beautiful to see what it means for the players. Of course, we expect from us to win against Latvia but the way we won, first of all, gives us a lot of satisfaction and then you feel straight away, hey, we did it, six wins, six clean sheets. We are there and to have this feeling is a very unique feeling.

19:42So it's a special evening and you can feel it in the staff and in the players, it's good. So how can you turn this to your advantage, qualifying with two matches to spare? You need to give me some time to think about it because I just know it's in half an hour that we're qualified, but we will, Harry just said in the dressing room, let's keep this thing going in November guys no one will take a rest no one will step back and this is my feeling they're building something we are building something together I think everyone will be delighted to be back in camp and let's see we have some time now to decide but we want to build on what we have of course It feels like you've found a pattern you've found your style you made just the two changes tonight so that continuity again and is this style that we've seen in the recent matches, is that a style of football that you will be able to play in the conditions that you will find in the United States?

20:42You need to adapt it, of course, to the conditions. It's different if you're playing 40 degrees in the afternoon or if you play in 8 degrees and rain, of course, and it will come naturally. You just cannot sprint in the same amount. You cannot have the same high-intensity runs. The game itself will be slower. But there's, I think, in the moment there's no choice. We do what we do. It gives us a good feeling. The players buy into it. And we play a running game. We play a high intensity game. I think this reflects the English football culture and the players love it. And we will adapt it when it's necessary to adapt.

21:19But you must be very proud of what's being achieved. I know people will say, you know, look at the quality of the opposition, et cetera, et cetera. But still, it's 18 points, it's six clean sheets. So it's good and it's a special moment. It's a moment for us. No matter if people might say this was easy. If it looks easy, it's never easy in football. You have to break down deep blocks again today. And the way we did it, it's nice to see because they play with a lot of effort and they don't just rely on their talent that we will score at some point. So we work hard for the goals and for the chances.

21:55So it's good to see. It's a very good moment. I like it a lot. Congratulations. I'll let you go and start planning. Thank you. John Murray, thank you very much. There will, of course, be celebrations within the England dressing room. We heard from Harry Kane, from Anthony Gordon and from Thomas Tuchel about the music in the dressing room, about the fact the players are all celebrating. Kind of what was interesting was that Anthony Gordon was so focused on this and so focused on the preparation, on this hard work that has been a real mantra of Thomas Tuchel's. But he said it wasn't until he got in the dressing room that he realised that, oh, it's all right, we're allowed to celebrate this.

22:27Yeah, first of all, how good's John Murray? How good is he? Fantastic. He's brilliant, isn't he? But no, I play with Anthony Gordon at Everton and his mentality was the same back then, even a good few years ago when he was a young boy coming through at Everton. He just wants to be the best. He wants to, if he was sat here now, he'd speak without a smile on his face because he's so serious in every aspect when it comes to football. And I fully believe what he told us there in that interview. I fully believe he was so focused on trying to be the best player on the pitch. He will openly tell you that.

22:55he'll want to be the best player in every opportunity that he can be. You mentioned there about he thrives on the competition. I fully believe that. So he should enjoy himself. It's an extraordinary feat to get yourself to a World Cup. So enjoy yourself, focus on getting into that next squad exactly like he said. But he says the right things all the time, but he really means it because he was exactly the same a few years ago when I was with him in Everton Club.

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23:55From the BBC, this is The Interface, the show that explores how tech is rewiring your week and your world. This isn't about quarterly earnings or about tech reviews. It's about what technology is actually doing to your work, your politics, your everyday life, and all the bizarre ways people are using the Internet. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

24:28We've talked a little bit about what this means in terms of the sense of achievement for the players, in terms of the hard work continuing, which has been the message from Thomas Tuchel. But let's take a look at where England are ahead of that World Cup, because now they've qualified for it. The next question is going to be, what can they do in this World Cup? Can they do what Thomas Tuchel has been tasked with achieving, which is go out and win the trophy for the first time since 1966. So the record in qualifying is really good, Matt. Played eight, won seven, drawn none and lost one. That's under Tuchel as a whole.