England top group after Bellingham, Kane sink Panama 2-0

England left East Rutherford on top of Group L after Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane delivered a 2-0 win over Panama at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Saturday, June 27, 2026. The result sent England into the knockout stage with seven points and confirmed a more favorable position for the next round.

The game was scoreless through the first half before Bellingham broke it open early after the restart. Five minutes later, he turned provider, setting up Kane for the second goal and putting the match beyond Panama, which had already been eliminated and played only for pride.

Kane’s finish carried extra weight. It was his 11th goal at a World Cup, moving him past Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament. For England, the milestone came in a match that was more controlled than flashy, with Bellingham again central to the outcome.

The setting added its own significance. East Rutherford hosted a match that drew World Cup stakes, European expectation and Central American elimination to New Jersey, underscoring how the tournament has settled into American venues that can stage high-pressure games with global interest. England had already secured a place in the round of 32 before kickoff, but the victory still mattered because it locked in first place in the group.

The result also revived memories of England’s 6-1 rout of Panama at the 2018 World Cup, when Kane scored a hat trick in another lopsided meeting. This version was tighter, but the same two names decided it again, with Bellingham’s goal and assist giving England the edge and Kane finishing the night as the tournament’s record man for his country.