Jude Bellingham has called Harry Kane England’s greatest ever player and said no-one has “shown up more” for his country after the pair scored in a 2-0 win over Panama to win World Cup 2026 Group L.
Real Madrid’s Bellingham broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute before crossing for Kane to break Gary Lineker’s record of 10 England goals at the finals, netting for an 82nd time internationally to move 29 clear of any other Three Lions player in history.
“I’ve built a good relationship with Harry over the last four or five years,” said Bellingham. “It’s an honour to play with him.
“He’s the best England player of all time. He’s the one who’s shown up more than anyone – more than any England player.
“It’s quite easy to play with him. He’s at a level that’s incredible, at the minute. You don’t doubt him at all… in terms of whether he’s going to make a difference in the game and he did again today.”
Most World Cup goals: Where does Harry Kane stand?
Only seven players now have more World Cup goals than Kane, including 2026 top scorer Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who has made a prolific start to the finals for France.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the all-time top scorer in international football, has two at the current finals and 10 overall at the tournament.
| Player | Team | Goals | Matches |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 18 | 28 |
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 16 | 17 |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 |
| Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14 | 13 |
| Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 |
| Pele | Brazil | 12 | 14 |
| Jurgen Klinsmann | West Germany/Germany | 11 | 17 |
| Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 |
| Harry Kane | England | 11 | 14 |
World Cup 2026: Harry Kane on England goals
Kane described his latest landmark as “another proud one to reach” and credited Bellingham with “another top performance”.
“Jude looks fit, looks sharp and looks like he’s got the bit between the teeth to go out there and prove to the world the type of player he is,” the Bayern Munich striker told ITV.
“His effort – non-stop running, tackling, tracking back – is the type of player we want in our team. Jude’s a fantastic runner with and without the ball.
“He makes runs in behind from deep and he’s so hard to track, he’s strong, he’s physical. He’s a fantastic player all round.
“Jude had a great bit of play and a great cross, he just hung it up. I was kind of waiting for that one throughout the game, just to get across my man.
“It was nice to see it go in and let’s hope it’s not the last of this tournament.”
World Cup 2026: What’s next for England and Harry Kane?
England are next in action in the last 32 against DR Congo. Here are their results, fixtures and potential schedule.
| Date | Match | Result | Stage | Time (BST) | ET | PT | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 17 | Croatia | 4-2 | Group | 21:00 | 16:00 | 13:00 | ITV |
| June 23 | Ghana | 0-0 | Group | 21:00 | 16:00 | 13:00 | BBC |
| June 27 | Panama | 2-0 | Group | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | ITV |
| July 1 | DR Congo | Round of 32 | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 | BBC | |
| July 6 | TBC | Round of 16 | 01:00 | 20:00* | 15:00* | BBC | |
| July 11 | TBC | Quarter-finals | 22:00 | 17:00 | 14:00 | ITV | |
| July 15 | TBC | Semi-finals | 20:00 | 15:00 | 12:00 | BBC | |
| July 18 | TBC | Third-placed match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | TBC | |
| July 19 | TBC | Final | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
World Cup 2026: England team vs Panama
There had been talk of Kane being rested but the 32-year-old was not among England’s five changes from their 0-0 draw with Ghana the previous Tuesday.
Reece James is expected to miss two matches with a hamstring injury and Djed Spence, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon moved to the bench.
Nico O’Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford came in.
England starting XI: Jordan Pickford, Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi, Jarell Quansah, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford
England substitutes: Dean Henderson, James Trafford, John Stones, Trevoh Chalobah, Dan Burn, Djed Spence, Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney
