Harry Kane opens up on England future after 2026 World Cup
Kane hopes to continue playing for England after 2026 World Cup
England star opened the scoring during the Three Lions’ 5-0 win on Sunday
Kane admitted he is peforming at the “highest” level
England captain Harry Kane has confirmed that he has no plans to retire after the 2026 World Cup, admitting that he is performing at the “highest” level.
Interim boss Lee Carsley enjoyed a strong end to his stint with the Three Lions’ senior side, recording victories over Greece and the Republic of Ireland during November’s international break. Their most recent win, during which five different England players etched their name onto the scoresheet, saw Kane open proceedings from the penalty spot.
The Bayern Munich star continues to be a strong presence among the England camp, even revealing his feelings on the vast amount of late dropouts in Carsley’s team.
It’s clear he will be a key figure for England’s 2026 World Cup endeavour, but Kane also hopes to be playing long after the tournament.
“I think sometimes there’s a perception when you get into your 30s that you are coming to an end,” he told Sky Sports. “But for me personally I am performing at the highest level I have ever performed and feel as good as I have ever felt.
It’s about taking in the moment. I don’t like to look too far ahead in my career, I never have. The World Cup is going to be exciting, in America it’s going to be an incredible occasion. Ultimately, it’s about trying to win that [World Cup], and as always you look at where you are and what you need to do to improve and that will be no different in a couple of years.”
England’s success during the latest international break saw them earn promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League after finishing at the top of their group.
Harry Kane has doubled down on his criticism of the players who withdrew from this month’s England squad, warning they risk destroying the sense of unity built during Gareth Southgate’s tenure.
Eight members of Lee Carsley’s initial squad withdrew through injury, while replacement call-up Jarrad Branthwaite also dropped out, prompting captain Kane to question why players were putting “club ahead of country”.
Many fans have criticised Kane’s stance, with several also taking aim at FIFA for allowing a third international break so soon into the club season, but the Bayern Munich striker refused to apologise for his feelings.
“I think I gave my opinion on the matter,” he explained ahead of Sunday’s meeting with the Republic of Ireland. “I think I probably didn’t expect it to get as much coverage as it did.
“But it was my opinion, just my opinion that England is really important. After a major championship like in the summer, sometimes these September, October and November camps get forgotten a little bit, in terms of how important they are.
If we win against Ireland it sets us up really well for the year ahead to the World Cup. These are the camps where you build that culture and togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. So it was just a reminder that playing for England is really special.”
He continued: “[The positive culture] takes a long time to build, and maybe not so long to lose if you’re not careful. But I think we’re well aware of that, the experienced players. We have a really open relationship here as players.
“I know it got portrayed as digging out the players, but that wasn’t what I was trying to say. It was just the fact that this isn’t a thing that we want to see regularly, and it hasn’t been the case in recent years under Gareth and that is a really important part of why the team have done really well.”
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