Harry Kane passes Pele, England survive DR Congo scare to reach World Cup last 16
Kane headed and then thundered England from 1-0 down in the final 11 minutes, reaching 13 World Cup goals and passing Pele's record that had stood for 56 years. England are through. They are going to Mexico City.
Harry Kane scored twice in the final 11 minutes to drag England past DR Congo 2-1 in their 2026 World Cup last-32 tie, and in doing so passed Pele's total of 12 World Cup goals. Kane now stands at 13. He is the outright second-highest scorer in World Cup history, behind only Miroslav Klose.
The match in Atlanta had looked like it might end England's tournament. Brian Cipenga put DR Congo ahead after just seven minutes, a header that silenced a stadium full of England supporters who had convinced themselves the hard part was already done. For the next 68 minutes, England probed without convincing. Tuchel's side held the ball, shifted it sideways, found gaps that closed before they could be exploited. DR Congo defended with discipline and looked increasingly capable of holding the lead.
Then Kane happened.
The 75th minute: Anthony Gordon dinked a ball into the box and Kane met it with a header that gave the goalkeeper no chance. The equaliser. The relief around the ground was audible. The 86th minute: Gordon and Kane linked up again, the Barcelona winger slipping it to the captain at the edge of the area, and Kane drove the shot home with the kind of certainty that separates genuinely great players from everyone else. The winner. The record. The history.
It is worth pausing on the number. Twelve World Cup goals was a mark Pele set across three tournaments, winning the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Kane has now passed it across three of his own, not yet having lifted the trophy himself. That is the detail his career has been missing. He has the goals. He has the record. He has 13 World Cup strikes to his name and England are through to the last 16.
The next question is whether this England side can do what previous editions could not. They face Mexico in Mexico City on July 6, a tie with significant home-crowd implications. Mexico beat Ecuador in the Round of 32 and will carry the Azteca with them. England have faced more hostile atmospheres in tournament football and managed, and Kane at this level is an argument in himself, but the test will be harder than DR Congo.
What the last-32 performance confirmed is that England remain dependent on their captain in a way that would feel uncomfortable if the captain were anyone other than the most clinical striker at this tournament. Tuchel will need more from Bellingham, from Saka, from the players around Kane, in the knockout rounds to come. A team that waits for its striker to rescue it cannot go all the way against opponents of greater quality than DR Congo.
But none of that diminishes what happened in the 86th minute. Kane stood over the ball, 1-1 with the clock running out, needing a goal that would secure passage to the last 16 and simultaneously break a record that has stood for 56 years. He hit it clean and low and it went in. That is what Harry Kane does. Follow the latest England 2026 World Cup coverage in the football news.