Thomas Tuchel has responded to X-rated chants from the travelling England supporters as the Three Lions qualified for the 2026 World Cup. A 5-0 win over Latvia in Riga has secured the country’s place in the biggest tournament in football next summer. The win came courtesy of a Harry Kane brace which followed on from Anthony Gordon’s opener, before a second-half Maksims Tonisevs own goal and a lovely Eberechi Eze finish. But Tuchel was the target of tongue-in-cheek chants from the away fans throughout the match in the Latvian capital on Tuesday night.

After last week’s win over Wales, Tuchel made his frustrations with the Wembley atmosphere clear, claiming the stadium was “silent”. He fumed: “We didn’t get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win. What more can you give them? Three goals in the first 20 minutes. You only heard Wales fans for half an hour, it’s a bit sad because the team deserved more.” And those inside the Daugava Stadium in Latvia returned the favour with several amusing chants aimed at Tuchel on the touchline.

“We’ll sing when we want, we’ll sing when we want, Thomas Tuchel, we’ll sing when we want,” was one song, while another asked: “Are we loud enough for you?” The England fans also sarcastically sang: “Our support is f*****g s**t” and: “It’s all gone quiet over there!”

“Tuchel give us a song”, “Where were you when we were s***?”, “1-0, and we still don’t sing” and “Tuchel’s right, our fans are s***e,” were other cheeky chants that could be heard from the travelling fans. ITV cameras at one point showed the German laughing it off with a smile as he acknowledged the fans from the dugout with a thumbs up.

And asked about the jovial chants post-match by ITV, Tuchel laughed and said: “I got some stick in the first half! Fair enough and well done. Good sense of humour and no problem, I can handle it. It was brilliant support from start to finish.”

In his press conference, he expanded: “They had a reason today from my last comments and I guess that’s fair enough. I got a bit of stick and I found it quite creative. It made me smile and this is how it has to be. It’s British humour and I can take it. No harm done.”

Captain Kane, now up to 76 goals in 110 England caps, added on the same subject: “I know Thomas came out after the last game and said the fans weren’t great, but you can’t question our away support ever and the way they were tonight was fantastic.

“We’ve qualified for another tournament, we know England fans always enjoy going out – America’s going to be a special place to play and we’ve got something to look forward to now. Credit to them for coming out and the noise they gave us.”

Tuchel is hoping to become only the second England coach ever to win a World Cup and the first since Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966. He reacted to his team’s latest victory: “Brilliant. Such a good mood in the dressing room. It’s our dream to go to America and now we made it, with another good performance and top result. Six wins and six clean sheets. We’re very happy.

“We’re dominant in games, we’re hungry. We invest against the ball, we get a lot of ball wins in the opponent’s half. Look at our last goal, Harry Kane goes all the way back into his own half after a mistake from his team-mate, and helps to win the ball for the goal from Ebs. That sums it up. It’s good, we’re on our way.

“We play very aggressive with a high press, it’s very physical so it’s very demanding. It’s a very good group and it’s a pleasure to coach them. It’s step by step and we’re getting there.”

While Kane said: “Qualifying with two games to go is a great achievement, zero goals conceded and playing some great football. You want competition in every place and position, we have that.

“There’s still some fantastic players who aren’t here, and we’re going to need them as well. It’s going to be a little bit chop-and-change going into a major tournament, we’ve got some fantastic players who are not quite fit or injured but that’s it – keep pushing each other.”

Tuchel was full of praise for his hard-working skipper and said when asked if Kane is the best striker he’s worked with in his managerial career: “He’s on top of the list. He’s in top shape, physically and mentally, full of confidence, and he’s a pleasure.”