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England will hope to officially seal their place at next summer’s World Cup finals when they travel to face Latvia on Tuesday night.
Albania’s 1-0 win over Serbia in Belgrade on Saturday means the Three Lions can now secure top spot in qualification Group K with a fourth consecutive victory in Riga, opening up an unassailable gap at the summit with only two matches to play.
Second-place Albania have played a game more than England and host Thomas Tuchel’s side in Tirana next month, after Serbia have paid a visit to Wembley.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Latvia vs England is scheduled for a 7:45pm BST kick-off on Tuesday October 14, 2025.
The match will take place at the 10,461-capacity Daugava Stadium in Riga.
Where to watch Latvia vs England
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on ITV1 with coverage beginning at 7pm.
Live stream: The match will also be available to watch live online via the ITVX app and website, which is free with a sign-up.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from England reporters Simon Collings and Dom Smith.
Latvia vs England team news
Watkins – the only other out-and-out striker in the squad – started in place of Kane on Thursday as Declan Rice took the captain’s armband, but was withdrawn at half-time after colliding painfully with the post after missing a glaring opportunity before the break.
If neither Kane nor Watkins are fit to face Latvia, the in-form Marcus Rashford would presumably lead England’s attack after replacing the latter against Wales, though the likes of Jarrod Bowen can also play though the middle if necessary.
Return: Harry Kane will hope to be back from injury for England in Riga
The FA via Getty Images
Tuchel went with a strong side against Wales and it remains to be seen if he will make many changes against weaker opposition in Riga, having omitted the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish, Adam Wharton and Phil Foden for this round of fixtures.
He is without Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Tino Livramento and Levi Colwill due to injury, while Reece James withdrew ahead of the Wales game as a precaution after a knock suffered playing for Chelsea against Liverpool and was replaced in the squad by first-time senior call-up Nico O’Reilly.
Latvia called up uncapped duo Ingars Pulis and Danila Patijcuks as replacements for the injured Alvis Jaunzems and Bruno Melnis, with Dario Sits of Atletico Madrid B added late after recovering from his own injury.
They remain without captain Kristers Tobers of Aberdeen, with Roberts Uldrikis and Raimonds Krollis among their other notable absentees.
Latvia vs England prediction
England are overwhelming favourites for another strong victory on their first visit to Riga, having blitzed Wales early on at Wembley in a thoroughly straightforward friendly triumph.
The only disappointment – other than Tuchel’s unhappiness with the crowd – was that they did not add further to their commanding lead after the 20-minute mark, but all in all it was still another accomplished display to follow the 5-0 demolition of Serbia in Belgrade.
Latvia’s qualifying campaign under Italian boss Paolo Nicolato hit a new low on Saturday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by minnows Andorra, who finished the game with 10 men.
What a strike: Reece James scored a brilliant free-kick as England brushed aside Latvia 3-0 at Wembley in March
The FA via Getty Images
They still have just one win to their name in Group K, which was in Andorra back in March, and should not pose a credible threat to England’s hopes of guaranteeing World Cup qualification with two games to spare, though their previous home draw with Albania and narrow loss to Serbia suggests they are capable of making things tricky on their day.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
James scored a stunning free-kick before further goals from Kane and Eberechi Eze.
Latvia vs England match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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