‘Leo still plays’: Harry Kane uses Messi’s example to reveal England’s World Cup future

England’s Harry Kane (9) applauds at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Harry Kane says it is too early to decide whether the 2026 World Cup will be his last after England’s hopes of reaching the finals were ended by Argentina with a dramatic 2-1 semi-final defeat. The England captain admitted the latest setback was painfully familiar after another tournament in the deep ended just one step short of the spectacle, but insisted he was not ready to put any limits on his international future.

Kane thinks about another near miss

England looked on course for a place in the World Cup finals after Anthony Gordon fired Thomas Tuchel’s side into the lead in the 55th minute in Atlanta.However, the defending champions gradually dominated the competition. Enzo Fernández equalized in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martínez headed home Lionel Messi’s cross deep into stoppage time to complete Argentina’s comeback and book a final against Spain.Reflecting on the defeat, Kane admitted that England were once again struggling to manage the closing stages of a big knockout match.“It’s a similar story to what happened in previous tournaments,” Kane said.“For 60 minutes we controlled the pace of the game so well, we scored and got ahead.“And then for one reason or another we struggled to be on the ball, we tried to put pressure on the ball and that allowed them to create more momentum and more offense in our final third.”

England’s Harry Kane (9) and England’s Jude Bellingham (10) are dejected at the end of the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina in Atlanta, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

He added that England naturally dropped deeper after taking the lead, but acknowledged that protecting a one-goal lead for more than 20 minutes against the reigning world champions proved too difficult.“It’s a normal mindset to try to hang on and hold a one-goal lead, but we’re still 20 minutes away. We’ll have to watch the game back and see exactly how we can improve in those situations, but that’s probably been the missing piece now in the last four tournaments.”

England’s attention turns to the play-off for third place

Defeat means England await their first World Cup title since 1966, although Tuchel’s side still have a game to play.The Three Lions will face France in the play-off for third place after Didier Deschamps’ side beat Spain 2-0 in the other semi-final.Kane once again led England deep into a major tournament, scoring six goals during the 2026 World Cup to finish among the competition’s top scorers while leading his country to the next four games.

Kane is not ready to make the decision to retire

Attention quickly shifted to whether the 32-year-old had played his last World Cup, with Kane turning 36 by the next tournament in 2030.However, the Bayern Munich forward made it clear that no decision would be made in the immediate aftermath of such a painful defeat, while drawing inspiration from Lionel Messi’s longevity at the highest level.“Again, it’s too early to talk about it,” Kane told BBC Sport.“I take it year by year and the national team is my pride and joy. It’s my favorite thing to do.”“Four years is a long time of course. I’ll be 33 this summer, but as you can see on the other hand, when Leo is there, he’s still performing at the highest level.“I never want to limit these things. I’ll deal with situations as they come, but for now it’s just about processing a tough loss.”