Kane Makes History and Scotland's Clarke Resigns as World Cup Knockout Stage Begins

England Advance From Group Stage, But Questions Remain

Harry Kane became England's all-time World Cup goalscorer, but it was Jude Bellingham who truly inspired Thomas Tuchel's side to top spot in Group L, grabbing a goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory over Panama. After a sluggish first half at MetLife Stadium — in which Panama caused England plenty of problems on the counter-attack — Bellingham took control and broke the deadlock with a smart finish in the 62nd minute before teeing up Kane five minutes later.

Bellingham turned provider as Kane headed home his inch-perfect cross for his 11th World Cup goal, breaking Gary Lineker's long-standing record and sealing top spot to set up a last-32 showdown with DR Congo in Atlanta. The Real Madrid midfielder, at just 22 years and 363 days old, became the youngest England player on record to both score and assist in a World Cup match.

Despite the positive result, England were defensively vulnerable at times — something that will be a major concern as the team progresses to face stronger sides in the knockout stages. To make matters worse, makeshift right-back Jarell Quansah was forced off with an ankle injury partway through the second half. Getting Declan Rice back into the team and shoring up the back four will be a priority heading into the round of 32.

Steve Clarke Ends Scotland Tenure After Heartbreaking Exit

Steve Clarke stepped down as manager of Scotland's men's team after their elimination from the 2026 World Cup at the group stages was confirmed on Saturday, June 27. Scotland had begun their tournament with a 1-0 victory against Haiti — their first win on the World Cup stage in 36 years — before following it up with two disappointing results, losing 1-0 to Morocco and then suffering a 3-0 defeat to Brazil, in which they gifted their opposition multiple goals through defensive errors.

Clarke had signed a new contract with the Scottish Football Association right before the tournament, a deal set to take him through to 2030 — but just 30 days after the announcement of that long-term contract, he resigned. In his farewell statement, Clarke said: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now."

Clarke took up the Scotland role in 2019 and led them to Euro 2021 and Euro 2024, then topped their qualification group thanks to a 4-2 win over Denmark to book their spot at the World Cup — their first in 28 years. Their final goal difference of minus-3 was enough to see them miss out on a spot in the final 32 as one of the best third-placed teams, with Croatia's 2-1 win over Ghana in Group L ultimately confirming Scotland's exit on Saturday.

The Round of 32 Gets Underway

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has now concluded, and the knockout round bracket has been finalized. The knockout stage began on June 28 , with South Africa vs. Canada kicking things off at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. One of the most dramatic conclusions to the group stage came in Algeria vs. Austria, which played out a thrilling 3-3 draw featuring two goals in second-half stoppage time — a result that was enough to send both teams through to the knockouts.

Iran finished third in their group but were eliminated after Algeria's draw with Austria pushed them down to ninth among the tournament's third-place teams. Meanwhile, Cape Verde clinched second place in their group and remarkably became the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockouts — in their tournament debut — earning the right to face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the round of 32.

England's round of 32 clash with Congo DR is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1, in Atlanta. Tuchel's side have the talent to go deep in this tournament, but the performances so far suggest that raw star power alone won't be enough. With Rice's fitness uncertain and defensive frailties on display, England's true World Cup test is only just beginning.