TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Perfect England is heading to the World Cup with a 100% qualifying record.
A 2-0 win against Albania on Sunday made it eight wins from eight for Thomas Tuchel's team, which also booked its place in next year's tournament without conceding a goal.
England had already qualified before completing its final Group K match, but finished in style with another win.
All-time leading scorer Harry Kane hit both goals in Tirana to extend his record to 78 goals in 112 games for his country.
“We’ve set the standard now, especially in the last few camps,” the England captain told broadcaster ITV. “We're going to go into the tournament as one of the favorites. We have to accept that, it's been like that for the last few tournaments.”
Kane's record in all competitions for Bayern Munich and England this season stands at 25 goals in 18 appearances.
Tuchel was hired last year with the initial task of leading England into the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The English Football Association believes the coach can end the nation's decades-long wait for a major title, with England having not won the World Cup since 1966.
England heads into next year's tournament having reached the final of the last two European Championships.
"We’ve been building, we’ve had a great year together with the new coach, and now we look forward to a big 2026,” Kane said.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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