England eye World Cup final after semi-final berth, Kane sees ‘another level’

By Rohan Gupta — 12 July 2026 — 4 min read

England progress to semi-finals

England have secured a spot in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals following their 2-1 victory over Norway in extra time. This marks only the fourth time the national team has reached this stage of the competition. The team is now set to face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, with the match scheduled for 20:00 BST.

Captain Harry Kane expressed confidence that England possesses an untapped potential, stating, “we have another level we can reach.” This sentiment comes as the team aims to clinch their first World Cup title since 1966. Kane, who has scored six goals in the tournament, shares the top goalscorer position for England with Jude Bellingham.

The quarter-final match against Norway saw England‘s manager, Thomas Tuchel, voice dissatisfaction with the team’s performance. He described the display as “sloppy,” noting “a lot of technical mistakes” and a lack of speed and repetition. Tuchel also suggested the team “got lucky” in their win.

Kane acknowledged Tuchel‘s frustrations, attributing them to the team not replicating their training form in the match. He explained that the manager wants to see the team’s full potential, especially given the attacking talent and individual skills within the squad. While acknowledging the difficulty of playing against strong opposition, Kane believes the team can still improve significantly.

Despite the manager’s critique, Kane highlighted the positive aspect of reaching the semi-finals while still having room for improvement. He emphasised that the team has shown glimpses of their capability but has not yet achieved the full control they desire. The striker also noted that reaching a World Cup semi-final is a significant achievement for the national team, urging the squad to enjoy the moment.

Controversy surrounding Bellingham’s equaliser

The match against Norway was not without controversy, particularly regarding Jude Bellingham‘s equaliser. Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken claimed that the ball struck an overhead camera cable before Bellingham scored. The incident occurred late in the first half when Norway‘s goalkeeper, Ørjan Nyland, launched a goal kick that appeared to make contact with a suspended camera wire.

Following the alleged contact, England quickly regained possession, leading to Bellingham‘s goal. Both Nyland and Solbakken immediately appealed to the referee, arguing that play should have been stopped. However, their protests were dismissed, and the goal stood.

Television replays reportedly indicated that the ball did make contact with the cable. Despite this, FIFA later maintained that there was “no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball.” Solbakken stated that the referee was unaware of any contact and did not receive any communication about it. He highlighted that the ball fell directly in front of the bench, suggesting clear contact.

Under the Laws of the Game, if officials determine that the ball has touched an outside object like an overhead cable, play should be stopped and restarted with a dropped ball. Since the officials did not detect any contact, play continued, and England capitalised on the opportunity to score.

Despite his disappointment, Solbakken chose not to dwell on the incident, instead commending his players for their efforts throughout the tournament. He acknowledged the bizarre nature of the event but accepted it as part of football. The Norway coach also suggested that the unexpected trajectory of the ball after the alleged contact created confusion among his players at a critical moment, leading to a misunderstanding.

Bellingham, who scored both goals for England in the 2-1 victory, had a different perspective on Tuchel‘s comments. He emphasised the difficulty of playing in such conditions against strong opponents like Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, and Alexander Sørloth, praising his teammates for their effort.

Looking ahead to the semi-final

England‘s journey to the semi-finals follows a history of reaching this stage in 1990 and 2018, where they lost to West Germany and Croatia, respectively. The team has also experienced defeats in recent European Championship finals, losing to Italy in 2021 and Spain two years ago.

Kane described the current period as an “extremely successful era” for the national team, noting that the missing piece is to “get over the line.” He highlighted the team’s consistent presence in semi-finals and finals, underscoring the importance of the upcoming week.

The Bayern Munich striker stressed the team’s desire and commitment for the badge over the past six weeks, indicating that an even greater push will be required for the remainder of the tournament. The semi-final against Argentina is scheduled for Wednesday.

Source: bbc.com