Harry Kane enjoyed a record-breaking night at the FIFA World Cup 2026 as England opened their campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday. The England captain scored twice, taking his World Cup tally to 10 goals and drawing level with Gary Lineker as his country’s leading scorer in the tournament’s history. The brace also saw Kane move past Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of eight World Cup goals, to now sit joint-seventh on the all-time top scorers list in the tournament. .
The match itself was one of the standout contests of the opening round. England twice took the lead through Kane, only for Croatia to respond through Martin Baturina and Petar Musa. Jude Bellingham restored England’s advantage shortly after half-time before substitute Marcus Rashford added a late fourth goal to secure all three points for Thomas Tuchel’s side in their Group L opener.
Kane’s first contribution arrived in the 12th minute after Noni Madueke won a penalty. Although Dominik Livakovic initially saved the spot-kick, a VAR review ruled that the Croatian goalkeeper had moved off his line just a fraction before the ball was struck. Kane stepped up again and calmly converted the retake to put England ahead.
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The goal carried added significance as it gave him a fifth successful World Cup penalty, the most by any player in the competition’s history.
The 32-year-old doubled his tally six minutes before the interval. Left unmarked from a Declan Rice corner, Kane powered a header beyond Livakovic to restore England’s lead after Croatia had levelled through Baturina. That strike moved him onto 10 World Cup goals, matching Lineker’s long-standing England record and taking him clear of Ronaldo on the all-time list.
Kane remained at the centre of England’s attack throughout the evening. Operating as the focal point of Tuchel’s system, he combined effectively with Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke while continuing to trouble Croatia’s defence. He finished with seven shots and came close to completing a hat-trick deep into stoppage time when Morgan Rogers played him through on goal, only for the striker to drag his effort narrowly wide.
The performance added another chapter to Kane’s remarkable World Cup record. The England forward scored six goals in Russia in 2018 to win the Golden Boot, added two more in Qatar in 2022 and has already struck twice at the 2026 tournament..
Kane’s latest brace also saw him become just the second England player to score at three different FIFA World Cups. The 32-year-old has now found the net in the 2018, 2022 and 2026 editions of the tournament, joining David Beckham, who achieved the feat across the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
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