Harry Kane Passes Lionel Messi For World Cup Record in England's Opener

With the FIFAWorld Cup underway, multiple stars are scoring early and often, including France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, both of whom scored multiple goals in their nations’ opening wins.

While Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t follow suit with any goals in his team’s draw against Congo DR, Harry Kane got England off to an early start, connecting on a penalty kick goal in the first 12 minutes of a match against Croatia.

The successful goal arrived after Kane received a retake and was able to fake out Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, swiftly sending the ball past him and giving England a 1-0 lead.

It marked the 80th goal of Kane’s England career, but more significantly, he took the lead for all-time goals scored by any player at the World Cup, with five across his multiple appearances.

More news:Lionel Messi Under Fire for Escaping Red Card in Argentina World Cup Opener

The 32-year-old footballer achieved his first four penalty goals across his 2018 and 2022 appearances for England in the World Cup.

Kane was in a tie with several other players, including Messi, who had four penalty goals in just the 2022 tournament.

And speaking of ties, Croatia connected on an equalizer later in the first half, making a 1-1 tie. However, Kane found a way to break it not long after with a header goal.

It’s impressive to watch the stars perform in their opening matches, as Mbappe and Messi are chasing the all-time goals record for the World Cup. Mbappe scored two in France’s opener, while Messi achieved a hat trick to tie for the all-time lead.

Kane setting the penalty goals record is an impressive feat, although it seems with Messi there, that record could get tied or fall before the tournament ends. It all depends on how far England and Argentina advance in the tournament.

The England and Croatia match was the opener for Group L, with Panama and Ghana set to play later on Wednesday.

More news:Zlatan Ibrahimovic Sends Strong Message on Erling Haaland After Norway Win

For more about the FIFA World Cup, visit Newsweek Sports.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 5:08 PM.