European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup highlights: England first to qualify after Harry Kane double, Portugal held by Hungary

A Harry Kane double helped England seal Group K's top spot in Riga, but a late Dominik Szoboszlai leveller prevented Portugal from following suit in Group F.

We wrap up all the action from Matchdays 7 and 8.

Matchday 8

Tuesday's results

Group E: Türkiye 4-1 Georgia, Spain 4-0 Bulgaria
Group F: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Armenia, Portugal 2-2 Hungary
Group I: Estonia 1-1 Moldova, Italy 3-0 Israel
Group K: Andorra 1-3 Serbia, Latvia 0-5 England

Latvia 0-5 England

Harry Kane netted twice as England stayed perfect and sealed qualification with two matches to spare in Riga. After Anthony Gordon found the far corner of the net with a low drive in the 26th minute, Kane struck from outside the box 18 minutes later and added a penalty during first-half stoppage time for his 76th international goal.

Vladislavs Gutkovskis was denied by Ezri Konsa's last-ditch tackle after breaking clear for Latvia and the visitors scored again when Maksims Toņiševs turned in Djed Spence's cross 13 minutes after the restart before substitute Eberechi Eze fired in with four minutes remaining.

Portugal 2-2 Hungary

Dominik Szoboszlai struck an added-time equaliser for Hungary as Roberto Martínez's Portugal side were made to wait to seal their finals spot. Portugal looked set for an unassailable eight-point lead in Group F after two clinical Cristiano Ronaldo goals overturned Attila Szalai's early header before the break in Lisbon.

However, the hosts were never quite able to press home their advantage, the excellent Balázs Tóth pushing one Bruno Fernandes shot onto the post soon after Rúben Dias had struck it. Szalai almost made them pay, crashing a header against the bar late on, and Szoboszlai ensured there would be no second reprieve at the death.

Spain 4-0 Bulgaria

A pair of Mikel Merino headers helped extend Spain’s perfect record in Group E. The pattern of the match was quickly set in Valladolid, Bulgaria maintaining a strict defensive set-up which Spain tried to unpick with clever passing and movement. Unpick they did, but the hosts had to wait 35 minutes for their opener after close calls for Pedri – who chipped onto the crossbar and volleyed narrowly wide – and Samu, who was twice denied by Bulgaria’s Svetoslav Vutsov.

Merino then planted in the first of his two headers, finding the bottom-right corner from Robin Le Normand's headed set-up, and showed similar precision in the second half when leaping to meet Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross from the left. Bulgaria were not without their chances, Kiril Despodov shooting narrowly wide after each goal, but La Roja extended their lead as Aleix García’s low cross was inadvertently turned in, and Mikel Oyarzabal struck a confident penalty.

Best of the rest

• Türki̇ye kept the pressure on Group E leaders Spain with an impressive home win against Georgia. Vincenzo Montella's charges trail La Roja by three points ahead of November's concluding fixtures.
• Evan Ferguson scored the only goal as Republic of Ireland picked up their first win in Group F against Armenia.
• Ștefan Bodișteanu's second-half leveller helped Moldova to their first point of the campaign.

Monday's results

Group A: Northern Ireland 0-1 Germany, Slovakia 2-0 Luxembourg
Group B: Sweden 0-1 Kosovo, Slovenia 0-0 Switzerland
Group D: Iceland 2-2 France, Ukraine 2-1 Azerbaijan
Group J: Wales 2-4 Belgium, North Macedonia 1-1 Kazakhstan

Iceland 2-2 France

France remain at the top of Group D despite losing their perfect record in a 2-2 draw with Iceland in Reykjavik. Some fine goalkeeping from Elias Rafn Ólafsson kept Iceland level early in the first half before Victor Pálsson gave the hosts a half-time lead.

Christopher Nkunku and Jean-Philippe Mateta scored in the span of five minutes midway through the second half to put France in front, but a clinical breakaway goal from Kristian Hlynsson immediately made it 2-2, which is how it remained. France lead Ukraine by three points after four games, with Iceland a further three points behind.

Wales 2-4 Belgium

The Red Devils are in sight of the finals after two Kevin De Bruyne penalties punctured a buoyant home crowd in Cardiff. The first cancelled out Joe Rodon's headed eighth-minute opener, before a first-time finish from Thomas Meunier sent Belgium in at the break in front.

De Bruyne's second spot kick followed a spell of Welsh pressure, and while substitute Nathan Broadhead finished to give Craig Bellamy's side hope, Leandro Trossard's effort on the break turned down the heat on Rudi Garcia's side.

Best of the rest

• Germany recorded their third win in four Group A outings, but were hanging on at the end as Northern Ireland pushed them all the way in Belfast after Nick Woltemade's first senior international goal. Slovakia, Germany's Matchday 10 opponents, are also on nine points after seeing off Luxembourg.
• Switzerland began the day with an outside chance of booking a finals place with two games to spare, but instead go into November with a three-point lead after they were held at Slovenia. Second-placed Kosovo won 1-0 in Sweden.
• High-flying North Macedonia's Group J hopes were dented by Dinmukhamed Karaman's overhead kick as Kazakhstan earned a 1-1 draw in Skopje.
• Ruslan Malinovskyi's second-half strike earned Ukraine all three points against Azerbaijan to keep up the pressure on France in Group D.

Sunday's results

Group C: Scotland 2-1 Belarus, Denmark 3-1 Greece
Group G: Lithuania 0-2 Poland, Netherlands 4-0 Finland
Group H: San Marino 0-4 Cyprus, Romania 1-0 Austria
Group L: Faroe Islands 2-1 Czechia, Croatia 3-0 Gibraltar

Netherlands 4-0 Finland

Goals by Donyell Malen, Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo ensured Group G leaders the Netherlands cruised to victory in Amsterdam. Restored forward Malen struck from outside the box in the eighth minute following a one-two with Depay, whose free-kick from the right allowed captain Van Dijk to nod in nine minutes later.

Jurriën Timber then headed Justin Kluivert's delivery against the crossbar, before Depay stroked in a precise 38th-minute penalty for the hosts, who added another with six minutes remaining when Gakpo collected Xavi Simons' pass and hammered in via a post from the edge of the area.

Denmark 3-1 Greece

Brian Riemer's side kept themselves on top of the pile in Group C with a clinical showing against a Greece team who started brightly. Rasmus Højlund pounced on a back pass to slot in a 21st-minute opener and the hosts gave themselves breathing space with two quickfire goals close to the interval, Joachim Andersen heading in from a corner and Mikkel Damsgaard burying from the edge of the area.

Although Christos Tzolis gave Greece hope just after the hour mark when he finished powerfully from Fotis Ioannidis' set-up, Denmark held on for a valuable win.

Scotland 2-1 Belarus

Scotland had to dig deep once again, just as they did against Greece on Thursday, but finishes from Ché Adams and Scott McTominay helped them overcome a stubborn Belarus at Hampden Park. After a positive start from the visitors, Adams eased Scottish nerves with a fine 15th-minute effort, evading his marker cleverly after receiving Jack Hendry’s fizzed reverse pass and angling a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner.

McTominay then finished instinctively after Andy Robertson's cross had eluded the Belarus defence in the 84th minute, giving Scotland a two-goal cushion which proved crucial when Hleb Kuchko struck deep in added time. Steve Clarke's side are level on points with leaders Denmark ahead of November's concluding fixtures.

Best of the rest

• Martin Agnarsson scored the 81st-minute winner as the Faroe Islands earned their third competitive win a row and the fourth of their Group L campaign by defeating Czechia 2-1 in Tórshavn.
• That result came as good news to Croatia, who are now three points clear at the top of Group L after downing Gibraltar 3-0. Zlatko Dalić's side have a game in hand on second-placed Czechia.
• Austria's 100% record in Group H was ended as Virgil Ghiţă's stoppage-time header gave hosts Romania a 1-0 victory in Bucharest.
• Sebastian Szymański scored straight from a corner as Poland beat Lithuania 2-0, with Robert Lewandowski also getting on the scoresheet.

Matchday 7

Saturday's results

Group E: Spain 2-0 Georgia, Bulgaria 1-6 Türkiye
Group F: Hungary 2-0 Armenia, Portugal 1-0 Republic of Ireland
Group I: Norway 5-0 Israel, Estonia 1-3 Italy
Group K: Serbia 0-1 Albania, Latvia 2-2 Andorra

Spain 2-0 Georgia

Yeremy Pino's close-range finish and Mikel Oyarzabal's fierce free-kick extended Spain's perfect Group E record in a dominant showing. Pino swept home with aplomb midway in the first half after collecting Robin Le Normand's unselfish touch.

Georgia were soon indebted to former Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who pushed a low Ferran Torres penalty clear of danger.

Luis de la Fuente's men kept up their search for a second, with Pedro Porro and Oyarzabal hitting the woodwork in quick succession, before the latter powered his effort from the edge of the box high into the net shortly after the hour mark.

Portugal 1-0 Republic of Ireland

Rúben Neves was the hero as Portugal left it late to break down a stubborn Republic of Ireland in Lisbon. It looked like Caoimhin Kelleher’s save from a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty had earned his side a point before Neves popped up in the 91st minute.

The hosts went close in the first half when Ronaldo’s effort smashed off the post, only for Bernardo Silva to send the rebound wide. Portugal were awarded a spot kick with 15 minutes remaining, only for Kelleher to deny Ronaldo.

Just when it seemed the visitors had done enough Neves rose to meet Francisco Trincão’s cross and head the ball home.

Best of the rest

• Erling Haaland recovered from missing an early penalty to score his sixth hat-trick for Norway and extend his lead as top scorer in these qualifiers with 12 goals from six games as his side stayed perfect in Group I with victory over Israel.
• Italy remain six points behind Norway having played one game fewer after a comfortable win in Estonia. Moise Kean found the bottom corner early for his fourth goal of qualifying while Mateo Retegui and Pio Esposito also found the net.
• Arda Güler shone in Türkiye's big win in Bulgaria, scoring a fine opener before creating two assists as his nation made it two wins from three games (L1).

Friday's results

Group A: Northern Ireland 2-0 Slovakia, Germany 4-0 Luxembourg
Group B: Kosovo 0-0 Slovenia, Sweden 0-2 Switzerland 
Group D: Iceland 3-5 Ukraine, France 3-0 Azerbaijan
Group J: Kazakhstan 4-0 Liechtenstein, Belgium 0-0 North Macedonia

Germany 4-0 Luxembourg

Captain Joshua Kimmich struck once in each half to help Die Mannschaft to a dominant win in Sinsheim.

The hosts were rewarded for their attacking start with 12 minutes gone via David Raum's stunning free-kick. Kimmich converted a cool penalty shortly afterwards following Dirk Carlson's dismissal, with the lively Serge Gnabry squeezing a fierce effort inside the post just after half-time.

Julian Nagelsmann's men kept up the intensity and Kimmich swept in from close range for his second of the evening. Germany almost added a fifth on the hour mark, but Florian Wirtz's dipping set piece smacked the upright.

France 3-0 Azerbaijan

Kylian Mbappé's brilliance undid a stubborn Azerbaijan performance as France maintained their perfect record in Group D.

Aykhan Abbasov's defensive strategy looked to have successfully frustrated France as half-time loomed, but then Mbappé danced beyond two challenges, entered the box after a quick exchange with Hugo Ekitiké and rolled the ball into the bottom-right corner.

Chances flowed more readily for the hosts after the break and, after Ekitiké had struck woodwork early on, Adrien Rabiot headed in from Mbappé's floated cross in the 69th minute and Florian Thauvin – making his first France appearance since 2019 – added an acrobatic third just one minute after his late introduction for Mbappé.

Belgium 0-0 North Macedonia

This top-of-the-table meeting in Group J finished as a goalless draw in Ghent.

The home side commanded 69% of the possession and had 25 shots on goal, but a resolute defensive display by the Red Lynxes ensured they would stay at the top of the group.

Jeremy Doku was outstanding for the Red Devils, creating five chances on goal with his brilliant dribbling and speed, but it was simply not to be for Belgium as North Macedonia kept a vital clean sheet and stayed a point clear at the Group J summit.

Best of the rest

• Switzerland are now five points clear in Group B after beating winless Sweden. Granit Xhaka's penalty set them on their way before a late clincher from 19-year-old substitute Johan Manzambi.
• Ukraine came through an eight-goal thriller in Iceland. Ruslan Malinovskyi scored twice to give the visitors a 3-1 interval lead but Albert Gudmundsson responded in kind to make it 3-3 with 15 minutes left. Ivan Kaliuzhnyi and Oleh Ocheretko settled the contest in the final five minutes.
• Trai Hume's delicate lob wrapped up a 2-0 win for Northern Ireland against Slovakia. That result means both sides are level with Germany on six points in an intriguingly-poised Group A.

Thursday's results

Group C: Belarus 0-6 Denmark, Scotland 3-1 Greece
Group G: Finland 2-1 Lithuania, Malta 0-4 Netherlands
Group H: Austria 10-0 San Marino, Cyprus 2-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group L: Czechia 0-0 Croatia, Faroe Islands 4-0 Montenegro

Scotland 3-1 Greece

Scotland completed a stunning comeback in Glasgow to boost their chances of a first World Cup finals berth since 1998. Greece had won 3-0 on their last visit to Hampden Park and started in similarly dominant form, standout chances falling to Vangelis Pavlidis and Giorgos Masouras before Kostas Tsimikas swept in a 62nd-minute opener from a loose ball.

Greek joy was short-lived, though, Ryan Christie finishing from close range just two minutes later and Lewis Ferguson smashing in a loose ball in the 80th minute. Konstantinos Karetsas' curler would have had Ivan Jovanović's men level late on, but Angus Gunn saved brilliantly before Lyndon Dykes' added-time finish sealed victory.

Czechia 0-0 Croatia

A draw suited the Group L leaders Croatia more, but Ivan Hašek's hosts were at least much better than they were in their 5-1 defeat to the same opponents in Osijek.

A first-half Lukáš Provod free-kick, which was saved by Dominik Livaković, was their best opening, while Ivan Perišić missed the target with Croatia's best chance. The result leaves these nations level on points at the group summit but Croatia have a game in hand.

Best of the rest

• Austria maintained their perfect record in Group H with a rampant display against San Marino. Their 10-0 victory was their biggest in international football while Marko Arnautović, who struck four, became the country's all-time record goalscorer with 45.
• Denmark were equally dominant in the first half as they seized control of Group C. Rasmus Højlund scored two of their four goals before the interval as they went into half-time 4-0 up against Belarus. Anders Dreyer added a second-half double.
• Netherlands are three points clear of Poland and Finland, who have played one game more than the other two, after their victory in Malta. Cody Gakpo converted two penalties with Tijjani Reijnders and Memphis Depay completing the scoring.
• Faroe Islands scored four times in a competitive game for the first time and recorded their biggest competitive victory with a stunning 4-0 success against Montenegro, Hanus Sørensen leading the way with a goal in each half.