TIRANA (Albania): England captain Harry Kane is confident the country’s current squad is ‘the best we’ve ever had’ after finishing the World Cup qualifying campaign with a brilliant record, winning 2-0 over Albania, early this morning.
The Bayern Munich striker scored two goals late in the game in Tirana, helping Thomas Tuchel’s side secure eight wins in Group K.
The 32-year-old was once part of the England squad that finished runner-up in the European Championship twice and also reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.
However, Kane believes that Tuchel has formed the best squad in his 10 years of experience with England, besides labelling the team as among the favorites to win the World Cup next year.
“I think it’s the best we’ve ever had,” Kane said. “If you look at the starting line-up and the reserves, we’re going into the tournament as one of the favourites.
“We have to accept that. We’ve been at this level for the past few tournaments.”
England became the first European team to play at least six matches in a World Cup qualifying campaign and win every match without conceding a goal.
They scored 22 goals in total in the World Cup qualifiers in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Kane, who has now scored 78 goals for the national team, is aware of the real challenge awaiting him at the World Cup.
However, Kane is confident England can provide competition in their quest for their first World Cup trophy since 1966.
“We’ve built this squad, had a great year with a new coach, and now we look forward to 2026 with confidence,” said Kane.
“I think we’ve set a new standard now, especially in the last few camps and we’ve continued to maintain that.
“It was an important win. You don’t want to end it with a loss at the end of the year and then have to wait until March to play again.
“Now, we can relax and enjoy it,” he said.