Harry Kane equalled Peter Shilton’s England appearance record and scored twice as the Three Lions completed a run of four Nations League games in the September and October 2026 international window.
Bayern Munich forward Kane made his 125th international appearance against Czechia on October 6, moving level with Shilton as the country’s most-capped men’s player.
Starting with a dangerous cross that was diverted in for the opening goal, Kane produced a performance worthy of the occasion as England won 3-0, finishing in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals from Group A3.
England vs Czechia: Harry Kane on ‘perfect night’
Former West Ham defender Coufal slid Kane’s delivery past Lukas Hornicek to give England the lead before Kane completed a slick one-touch move by firing in from Morgan Rogers’ cross.
After the restart, the 33-year-old cracked a shot against the crossbar from outside the box following superb footwork and balance by Myles Lewis-Skelly. Lewis Hall then supplied the corner for Kane to head in his second.
“It’s an extremely proud evening,” Kane told ITV, reflecting on victories over Czechia either side of a 7-0 win away to Croatia, having lost their first game of the window 3-2 at home to reigning world champions Spain.
“It was the perfect night for me personally, and for the team. It’s been a tough camp, long camp with some difficult games in there, so it’s nice to finish it off all together here at Wembley.”
How many England caps does Harry Kane have?
Kane’s caps total of 125 puts the former Tottenham talisman level with legendary goalkeeper Shilton, whose record has stood for 36 years.
On his senior England debut, Kane started as he intended to go on by scoring inside two minutes after coming off the bench in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania at Wembley Stadium in March 2015.
Shilton, whose swansong was a memorable one as England reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup, sent a message to Kane via the English FA before kick-off against Czechia.
“I know how much dedication and hard work you’ve put in to achieving this, especially as a striker,” Shilton said.
“I think that’s probably the hardest position to play – goalkeeper’s just behind that – because of the responsibility. You’ve been a great captain and will be in the future.
“You will go on and beat [the record] in [the Nations League in] November, I’m sure of that, and maybe go on and set a record that will never be beaten, because you’re still going strong, playing well and scoring goals.”
How many goals has Harry Kane scored for England?
Kane has now scored a remarkable 91 goals for England. His total of 32 at Wembley is the most by a Three Lions player at the national stadium.
“There’s not really much more you can say that hasn’t already been said,” teammate Jude Bellingham told the broadcaster.
“I can only really talk from my perspective, and that’s that he is, first and foremost, an unbelievable human being.
“As a captain, as a man, he looks after each and every single person. He’s the one to always take responsibility when something needs doing off the pitch.
“Then on the pitch, you run out of superlatives. He’s the best England player that’s ever worn the shirt and it’s an honour to play with him.”
Czechia coach Santi Denia suggested there is a “secret” behind Kane’s longevity at the very top. “He loves football,” explained the Spaniard.
“He’s an unbelievable player, he understands everything in the game. England supporters should be very proud of this player.
“He’s one of the best players in the world in terms of experience, quality, personality – and he’s a gentleman.”
Here are England’s top scorers of all time.
| Player | Goals | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Kane | 91 | 125 |
| Wayne Rooney | 53 | 120 |
| Bobby Charlton | 49 | 106 |
| Gary Lineker | 48 | 80 |
| Jimmy Greaves | 44 | 57 |
| Michael Owen | 40 | 89 |
| Tom Finney | 30 | 76 |
| Nat Lofthouse | 30 | 33 |
| Alan Shearer | 30 | 63 |
| Frank Lampard | 29 | 106 |
What next for Harry Kane? England fixtures, schedule
Here are England’s remaining matches in League A3.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | GMT start time | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12 | Croatia (H) | Wembley Stadium | 19:45 | 14:45 | 11:45 |
| Nov 15 | Spain (A) | Metropolitano | 19:45 | 14:45 | 11:45 |
When are the Nations League quarter finals? Will England be there?
The first legs of the Nations League quarter-finals take place between March 25 and 27 2027, with the return matches in the home-and-away format held between March 28 and 30.
Should England avoid losing by seven goals at home to Croatia in their next match, they are guaranteed to finish at least second in their section, which would ensure a place in the last eight.
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