Kane dismisses 'one-man team' fears and declares 2026 World Cup his best shot at glory

Harry Kane has brushed aside criticism that England have become overly dependent on him and declared the 2026 World Cup the greatest opportunity of his career to win football’s biggest prize.

The England captain, 32, arrives at his third World Cup having just completed a record-breaking season at Bayern Munich in which he scored 61 goals. Despite holding 79 goals in 113 international caps — more than the rest of the current squad combined — Kane is adamant that the concern over England’s goal-scoring spread is misplaced.

“Any top striker in the team, there’s going to be a reliance on the striker to score goals,” Kane told ITV. “With Erling [Haaland] with Norway, Mbappe with France — when you’re a top goalscorer in the team you are expected to score the goals. It doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing.”

Kane pointed to the quality of England’s wider options as evidence that the burden will not fall on him alone. “I do think we have goals from other areas in the team when you look at the squad we’ve picked. We’ve also got great wingers and everyone has had successful seasons in terms of trophies — and that’s an important factor.”

Having previously reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals at World Cups, Kane is acutely aware that time is not infinite. “This is the best opportunity I will get maybe in my career to win the World Cup,” he said. “It could always be my last because you never know what happens in football. The World Cup is the pinnacle of any career and this is my third now. The shape I’m in, coming off the season I’ve had — it’s probably the best opportunity I’ll get.”

Kane also addressed the weight of history, acknowledging that England have gone 60 years without a major trophy. “We’ve been extremely close and now it’s time for us to step over that line for sure.”

England opened their World Cup preparations with a 1-0 win over New Zealand on Saturday, with Kane heading home the only goal. They face Costa Rica in Florida before travelling to their training base in Kansas City ahead of their tournament opener against Croatia on 17 June.