- Panama vs England: The Three Lions secured a 2-0 victory in New York to finish top of Group L at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Harry Kane found the scoresheet to become England’s all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
- Jude Bellingham opened the scoring on Sunday as England overcame a resilient Panama side to finish the group stage with seven points.
Harry Kane climbed to the top of England’s all-time FIFA World Cup scoring chart as the Three Lions edged past Panama 2-0 in New York on Sunday to finish top of Group L.
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham met a Bukayo Saka corner to break the deadlock just after the hour mark on a rain-soaked afternoon in New Jersey.
It had been a largely lacklustre contest up to that point, but the breakthrough had been brewing. Bellingham then turned provider, delivering a cross for Kane to nod home England’s second midway through the second half.
ALSO READ: England vs Croatia: Kane equals England’s scoring record in World Cup opening win over Croatia
The strike was Kane’s third of the tournament after his brace in the opening 4-2 victory over Croatia. The England captain has now surpassed Gary Lineker to become his country’s all-time leading World Cup scorer with 11 goals.
Three of those goals came when England dismantled Panama 6-1 at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but the Three Lions faced a sterner test this time against determined, albeit limited, opponents.
Questions had begun to emerge over England’s World Cup credentials after the hour mark, following last Tuesday’s goalless draw with Ghana in Boston.
While they have yet to rediscover the same fluency they showed against Croatia, England progress to the knockout stage as group winners with seven points from a possible nine.
Finishing top of the group is significant, as it allows them to avoid a potential last-16 showdown with Spain.
Instead, they will travel to Atlanta for a clash next Wednesday, July 1, against a third-placed side. Victory there would send them to Mexico City for the next round, potentially setting up a meeting with Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, where they famously lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina in 1986.
Thomas Tuchel will not be looking too far ahead, and England still have plenty to prove before they can genuinely be considered capable of overcoming the tournament’s biggest contenders.
That said, they are unlikely to encounter many more teams willing to sit as deep defensively as Ghana did, and as Panama did for much of this encounter.
The Central American nation, ranked 34th in the world, battled admirably but carved out very few opportunities and remain without a single World Cup point.
They lost all three group-stage matches on their tournament debut in 2018 and exit the competition having suffered three more defeats this time around, all without finding the net, following 1-0 losses to Ghana and Croatia.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026