England and Poland celebrate victories: World Cup qualification remains exciting!

England and Poland celebrate victories: World Cup qualification remains exciting!

As of March 25, 2025, England remains on track to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. In a convincing game, the English won against Latvia 3-0. Goal scorers Reece James, Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze ensured the clear victory. James scored in the 38th minute after returning to the starting lineup in 2022. Kane scored the second goal in the 68th minute, followed by Eze, who marked the final score in the 76th minute. With this win, England remain top of Group K and continued their strong form after Albania also picked up their first points in this qualification with a 3-0 win against Andorra. Albania won with goals from Rey Manaj in the 9th and 19th minutes and Myrto Uzuni in the 90th + 2 minutes.

The current table shows England at the top with six points, while both Albania and Latvia have three points each. Andorra remains at the bottom of the group with no points. Serbia had no games on this matchday, which increased the chance for the other teams to prove themselves at the top of the table.

Poland remains strong

In Group G, Poland also put in an impressive performance and won 2-0 against Malta. Karol Swiderski stood out as a double goalscorer, scoring in the 27th and 51st minutes. With this win, Poland leads Group G with a total of six points, strengthening its chances of taking part in the 2026 World Cup.

• Polen: 6 Punkte
• Malta: 0 Punkte

Finland, however, disappointed after blowing a 2-0 lead against Lithuania and ending with a 2-2 draw. The scorers for Finland were Kairinen (4th minute) and Pohjanpalo (17th minute), while Kucys (39th minute) and Gineitis (69th minute) were successful for Lithuania.

Framework of qualification

The qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup is a significant phase in international football as UEFA is sending 16 participants to the upcoming World Cup, three more than before. All 55 European associations have announced their participation in the qualifiers after the group draw took place in December 2024. The qualifying matches will be played from March to November 2025, and the 12 group winners will qualify directly for the tournament, while the second-placed teams and the top Nations League group winners will fight for the remaining places. The last four starting places will be awarded in a play-off tournament in March 2026. Wikipedia explains the details of the qualification format.

With the nutrition guide in international football, everything is ready for the next exciting match days. While teams like the Netherlands, Austria and Serbia will only start qualifying in June, the tension in the different groups will remain high for the next few months.

For current information, scores and analysis, fans can watch the live tickers on platforms such as Eurosport track.