England 7-1 to win 2026 World Cup after sealing Nations League promotion

England ended the Lee Carsley era in style, beating Ireland 5-0 to secure promotion to the top flight of the Nations League, and they are 7-1 to win the 2026 World Cup under Thomas Tuchel.

The German coach will start his role as Three Lions manager on January 1 and interim boss Carsley enjoyed a memorable send-off at Wembley.

England, who went off as 2-9 shots to defeat their 12-1 visitors, struggled to create clear chances until a game-changing incident early in the second half. 

Jude Bellingham was fouled by Ireland centre-back Liam Scales, who received a second yellow card, and Harry Kane, the 14-5 favourite to score first, converted the penalty.

Within five minutes, England were 3-0 up as Anthony Gordon and Conor Gallagher scored their first international goals. Substitute Jarrod Bowen struck with his first touch and debutant Taylor Harwood-Bellis completed the rout with a powerful header.

England finished level on points with Group B2 rivals Greece, who also won five and lost one of their six games, but the Three Lions topped the section thanks to a superior head-to-head record.

It is tight at the top of the betting for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada.

European champions Spain, who beat England in the final of Euro 2024, are 6-1 favourites and Brazil and France are 13-2, just ahead of the Three Lions in the outright market.

Holders Argentina are 10-1 to retain the trophy – the same price as Germany, who hammered Bosnia 7-0 in the Nations League on Saturday.

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.