England National Football Team Wins 6 Straight in Tuchel Qualifying Run
England national football team finished a perfect six-for-six in Thomas Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, becoming the first European side to win at least six qualifiers and take all six. The run came under pressure, with criticism following the performances even as the results kept adding up.
Tuchel’s England Started at Wembley
March 2025 opened the campaign at Wembley with a win over Albania. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane scored in that match, setting the tone for a qualification stretch that never produced a slip.
England followed that with another victory days later. Reece James scored a free-kick on his first international start in over two years, while Kane and Eberechi Eze also scored.
Kane Reaches 450 Against Andorra
The next stop was the RCDE Stadium just outside Barcelona, where England faced Andorra and kept another clean sheet. Kane scored his 450th career goal in that match, a marker that sat inside a routine qualification win rather than a headline-grabbing standalone display.
Declan Rice later added a goal after meeting a Reece James delivery at the back post against Andorra. Christian Garcia’s own goal within the opening thirty minutes also pushed England on, and the team returned from the trip still without conceding in that phase of the campaign.
Villa Park Kept the Run Going
England came back to World Cup qualifying action in September at Villa Park after a disappointing friendly defeat to Senegal. The response was a fourth straight game without defeat in the competition, extending the unbeaten run that sat underneath the perfect qualifying record.
Tuchel’s own line after the matches captured the split between output and criticism: “not everything falls into place from the first minute.” He also said, “There is room to improve but overall [we’ve got] two twins and two clean sheets. We did not allow any big chances in two matches. A lot of positives but room to improve. A good start,” as England moved closer to the 2026 World Cup and to Group L matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama beginning on June 17.
