Harry Kane will play for England at a third World Cup this summer, at the age of 32. In the second instalment of a five-part series on players to watch at the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, RFI looks at the World Cup career of England's record goalscorer.
England fans will be hoping Kane has not peaked too early on the scoring front.
During the 2025/2026 season for Bayern Munich, Kane scored 61 goals in 51 games across competitions including the Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB Pokal (German Cup).
The last three came in the DFB Pokal final on 23 May in Berlin against Stuttgart, making him only the fourth player after Uwe Seeler, Roland Wohlfarth and Robert Lewandowski to score a hat-trick in the final of the 91-year-old tournament.
Kane has been England's all-time leading scorer since 23 March 2023, when he netted his 54th goal to surpass Wayne Rooney's record of 53.
It took Rooney 107 caps to pass Bobby Charlton's total, while Kane exceeded Rooney's tally in 81 games.
Since breaking the record, Kane has added 24 more goals.
Numbers 77 and 78 came against Albania in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, a tournament at which he will be among the leading figures alongside Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappé and Senegal's Sadio Mané.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel highlighted Kane's importance in March after his side lost to Japan without him.
"In the absence of Harry Kane, we don't have the same threat," said Tuchel.
"Bayern Munich, in the absence of Harry Kane, does not have the same threat. No team in the world has the same threat. It's just normal.
"If top teams rely on top players and top nations rely on top players, that's absolutely normal."
Chance to extend record
Kane will have the opportunity to extend his record across at least three games and possibly eight, following the expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and the introduction of a round of 32 for the top two sides from each of the 12 pools and the eight best third-placed teams.
"Extremely proud to be going to another World Cup," Kane posted on social media after being named captain of an England squad that will equal Billy Wright's record of captaining the side between 1950 and 1958.
"Never take these moments for granted. These are all the things I dreamed of growing up."
England begin their 17th World Cup campaign on 17 June against Croatia. They play Ghana six days later and conclude their Group L fixtures against Panama.
Move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich
Kane, who joined Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur in July 2023, will attract close attention from opposing defences. It is a position he was accustomed to during his time in north London, and one he has continued to face in three seasons in Germany, where he has scored 98 goals in 94 Bundesliga matches, 33 in the Champions League and 10 in the DFB Pokal.
Following the DFB Pokal final victory, Bayern's honorary president Uli Hoeness told German broadcaster Das Erste: "Harry Kane is the best transfer we've ever made."
England fans will be focusing on his performances at venues in Texas, Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Lineker's World Cup record in sight
As England reached the semi-finals in 2018, Kane scored six goals to claim the golden boot as the tournament's top scorer.
He was well short of that in Qatar in 2022, netting twice and missing a crucial penalty as England lost to France 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
With eight World Cup goals from 11 matches, he needs three to match Gary Lineker's England record of 10.
"I'm absolutely gutted," said Kane after the defeat to France at the Al Bayt Stadium in December 2022.
"We've given everything and it came down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There's no hiding from it, it hurts and it will take some time to get over it."
Nearly four years on, Kane's return to form will not be lost on Bayern Munich fans – or England's.
