Kane: 'We look forward to a big 2026'

England captain Harry Kane extended his lead at the top of the Three Lions’ all-time goalscoring charts as Thomas Tuchel’s side signed off in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

The skipper now sits on 78 goals and counting after bagging a brace against Albania this evening – a record he is proud of.

“It was a really tough game – probably one of the toughest we've had in the group,” said Kane.

“We had to be patient, we had to grind them down – they are defensively really solid – and we did that.

“We ended up with a 2-0 win, another clean sheet, we can be really happy.”

A beautiful @MarcusRashford cross headed in by @HKane 🔗 pic.twitter.com/50IRSouESc

— England (@England) November 16, 2025

The forward also explained how England changed their set-piece routine which paid off.

“First half, we went with an outswing and then when [Bukayo Saka] came on, we know how good he is at hitting that front post zone,” he explained.

“I went to the front post, got a bit lucky with the flick on and thankfully I was there to put it away.”

The substitutes made an impact once again, with Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford – both introduced off the bench in the second half – setting up Kane for his goals.

And Kane stressed the importance of those players, reflecting on the performance.

“If you're going to go far in any tournament you need the whole squad, you need the players who don't start to come off the bench and make an impact,” affirmed Kane.

“That's what football is about, it's not just the 11 who play. We're going to need everyone and the guys who came on today made a big difference.”

England end the calendar year with a victory, with Tuchel’s team maintaining their 100% record in their World Cup qualifying campaign in the process.

“We have set the standard now, especially in the last few camps and we carried it on into this camp,” continued Kane.

“It was an important win; you don't want to finish with a loss at the end of the year and then wait until March to play again. We can go away and enjoy this.”

And Kane highlighted how England’s successful campaign will stand them in good stead heading into the tournament itself.

“I think [the quality of the squad] is as good as we have ever had,” he said. “When you look at the starting eleven, you look at the players coming off the bench, we are going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites.

“We have to accept that. It has been like that for the past few tournaments. It is part and parcel of it.

“We have been building, we have had a great year together with the new coach. We look forward to a big 2026.”