England on Tuesday became the first European nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will have to wait to play after conceding an injury-time equalizer against Hungary.
Harry Kane scored two goals in the first half for England, who defeated Latvia 5-0 and secured first place in the group with two games remaining. England will be playing in the World Cup for the eighth consecutive year.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace gave Portugal a 2-1 lead over Hungary in Lisbon, and they look set to join England in next year’s tournament in North America. A win would have ensured that Portugal would have finished first, but Dominik Szoboszlai made it 2-2 in the first minute of stoppage time.
Ronaldo at least left the game with a new scoring record. He has scored 41 goals in World Cup qualifying, breaking the previous record of 39 with Guatemalan player Carlos Ruiz.
Italy defeated Israel 3-0 in the match, ensuring at least a place in the playoffs. full of tensionplayed amid a large police and military presence, and preceded by a pro-Palestinian march attended by an estimated 10,000 people.
The match was classified in the highest risk category despite the breakthrough. armistice agreement it stopped for 2 years war in gaza.
Second-placed Azzurri are three points behind Norway, who have a much higher goal difference. Both teams have two games remaining next month, including a final qualifying match in Italy.
Spain defeated Bulgaria 4-0 to remain top of the group with a three-point lead over Türkiye. Türkiye also defeated Georgia 4-1 at home.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
