Harry Kane drew level with Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading World Cup goalscorer after scoring twice in a dramatic 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The England captain took his World Cup tally to 10 goals, matching the record Lineker set across the 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Both men also won the World Cup Golden Boot, with Lineker claiming the award in 1986 and Kane doing so at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Kane opened the scoring in Dallas after converting a retaken penalty. His initial effort was saved by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, but a VAR review found the goalkeeper had moved off his line too early while defender Josko Gvardiol had encroached into the penalty area. Kane made no mistake with the second attempt, firing England ahead.
Croatia responded through Martin Baturina, whose powerful strike from outside the box beat Jordan Pickford to level the match. But England’s captain restored the lead before half-time when he powered home a header from Declan Rice’s corner. The goal was Kane’s 10th in World Cup finals and brought him alongside Lineker in the record books.
England’s advantage lasted only moments, however, as Petar Musa volleyed home on the stroke of half-time to make it 2-2 and ensure the contest remained finely balanced heading into the break.
After a spirited team talk from manager Thomas Tuchel, England emerged with renewed energy in the second half. Jude Bellingham restored the Three Lions’ lead shortly after the restart with a superb solo effort before Marcus Rashford sealed the victory late on.
The result handed England three points in their opening Group L fixture and continued Kane’s remarkable scoring record for his country. The Bayern Munich striker now has 81 international goals and remains England’s all-time leading scorer.
Kane is now just six goals behind the all-time World Cup scoring record jointly held by Lionel Messi and Miroslav Klose. Messi drew level with Klose earlier in the tournament after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s victory over Algeria.
England’s victory puts them in a strong position ahead of upcoming group matches against Ghana and Panama, while Kane’s latest milestone further cements his place among the greatest goalscorers in both England and World Cup history.
