Harry Kane's brace secures England's perfect World Cup qualifying campaign
What's the story
Harry Kane scored twice to lead England to a 2-0 victory over Albania in their final World Cup qualifying match. The win, under coach Thomas Tuchel, ensured that the Three Lions ended their campaign unbeaten and without conceding a single goal. Despite the lack of goals in the first half, Kane's two strikes within eight minutes after half-time brought England to life. Here's more.
Game changers
Substitutes play pivotal role in England's victory
The impact of substitutes was once again evident in the match. Bukayo Saka came on for Eberechi Eze just after the hour mark and his corner kick found Kane's feet, who scored in the 74th minute. Shortly after, Marcus Rashford replaced Jarrod Bowen and provided a perfect cross from the left that Kane headed into the bottom corner, sealing England's win.
Defensive challenges
England's defense tested by Albania
Despite the win, England's defense was tested by Albania, who looked more threatening before Kane's opener. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was forced to make three saves in Tirana, as many as Jordan Pickford had to make in all seven other qualifiers combined. Arber Hoxha came closest to breaking England's unbeaten record when his effort was saved by a diving Henderson in the second half.
Words
Kane pleased with England's win
Kane was pleased with England's win and looks forward to 2026. "It's as good as we've ever had. When you look at the starting XI and those coming off the bench, we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites. We have to accept that - it's been like that for a the last two tournaments. That's part and parcel. We've been building under the new coach and we now look forward to a great 2026," said Kane to TNT Sports.
Opta stats
Key records made by England
England have become the second European team to win 100% of their games in a FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign without conceding, after Yugoslavia in qualification for the 1954 FIFA World Cup (4 games). The Three Lions have won 11 consecutive competitive matches for the first time in their history. England's xG against Albania was their lowest in a first half under manager Thomas Tuchel, while they've not had lower in any half of football since he took charge.
Do you know?
Kane owns 78 England goals, including 26 in WC qualifiers
Playing his 112th match for England, Kane now owns 78 goals. In the 2025 calendar year, he has scored 9 goals from 9 outings in all competitions. Meanwhile, Kane now owns 7 international goals against Albania. Lastly, in 23 World Cup qualifying games, he has scored 26 goals.
Information
England finish campaign with 24 points
England won Group K with 8 wins from 8 matches. They netted 22 goals in their campaign and didn't concede one. Albania finished 2nd in the group with 14 points from 8 matches.