Kane Makes History as England Defeats Croatia 4-2 in World Cup Opener

England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in Group L. Captain Harry Kane led the way, scoring twice and writing his name into the record books.

Kane gave England the lead in the 12th minute from the penalty spot. This marked his fifth penalty goal in World Cup history (excluding shootouts), breaking the previous tournament record of four held jointly by Lionel Messi, Eusébio, Gabriel Batistuta, and Rob Rensenbrink.

The milestone came with a bit of drama. Croatia’s goalkeeper, Dominik Livaković, saved Kane's initial attempt, but a VAR review showed the keeper had stepped off his line early and a defender had encroached. Awarded a retake, the England captain made no mistake. With this goal, Kane also became only the second English men's player, after David Beckham, to score in three different World Cups (2018, 2022, and 2026).

In the 42nd minute, Kane struck again, heading in a precise cross to make it 2-1 before halftime. The strike was his 10th career World Cup goal, equaling Gary Lineker’s 36-year-old record for the most World Cup goals by an English player.

The 32-year-old Bayern Munich striker is already England’s all-time leading scorer. His double against Croatia extends his national team tally to 81 goals, sitting comfortably ahead of Wayne Rooney, who is in second place with 53.