England beat Panama 2-0 to top World Cup group

England secured top spot in Group L with a 2-0 victory over Panama at New York New Jersey Stadium, courtesy of second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. The win was England's second of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, following a 1-1 draw with Ghana in their previous match.

First-half frustration for England

England had thrashed Panama 6-1 when the teams met at Russia 2018, but this encounter proved far tighter. Thomas Christiansen's Panama side frustrated England throughout the first half, with the wet conditions familiar to both teams. England dominated possession but struggled to break down a well-drilled opponent.

Marcus Rashford produced England's most notable threats in the opening period, cutting inside and forcing a full-stretch save from Panama goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera with an early strike, then heading over at the far post from Elliot Anderson's cross. Panama nearly took the lead just after the first hydration break when Jose Luis Rodriguez broke into space on the left and tested Jordan Pickford, who turned the strong shot behind at the near post.

Bellingham and Kane break through

England coach Thomas Tuchel had made five changes from the Ghana stalemate, giving first starts in North America to the attacking trio of Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka. The changes paid off in the second half as England increased the pressure. Mosquera made a flying save from Kane before Bellingham's second goal of the tournament broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute.

Bellingham held off his marker and prodded in on the volley from Saka's corner. Five minutes later, Bellingham turned provider, crossing for Kane to head his 11th World Cup goal — one more than previous record-holder Gary Lineker. Panama had a late Jose Fajardo strike ruled out for offside and will head home without a point or a goal, despite reaching double figures for goal attempts.

Record and next round

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford moved into outright second place on England's all-time World Cup appearance list with his 15th outing, moving clear of Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Terry Butcher and Ashley Cole. Only Peter Shilton, on 17, remains ahead of him. England will face a third-placed team from Group E, H, I, J or K in the Round of 32 in Atlanta on Wednesday, 1 July.

Reaction

"We did what we needed. It was as we expected against a difficult opponent. We were the only team to create this amount of chances against Panama. Everyone did what we needed to do and Jude was a big part of that. There's more to build on and you have to get so many details right with the aggressive approach we take. But the tournament starts again now with the knockouts. We collect our strengths and our energy and we build on what we have. We will step up. The bigger the games, the better we'll get." — Thomas Tuchel, England coach, speaking to ITV

"The first job achieved: we came here to do it in sections and now we've achieved that first objective to get through the group and to top it as well. We knew what level we wanted to achieve and we did it second half. Every game we've got to improve and it's up to us to achieve that. The assist was a good combination of play and the [England World Cup goalscoring] record is everything Harry Kane deserves." — Jude Bellingham, England midfielder, speaking to ITV

"We knew we had that ability and I think we showed it on the pitch despite the occasion, despite the spotlight. We may have lacked a goal but we competed. I also think it helped that most of us play in top leagues. Week after week we're competing at the highest level, in packed stadiums, and I think that really helped us do what the coach asked of us: stay calm in an environment like this." — Jose Luis Rodriguez, Panama midfielder