Thomas Tuchel depends on Harry Kane for England’s 2026 World Cup campaign success

Kane will lead England at the World CupREUTERS/Maryam Majd

England captain Harry Kane, currently Bayern Munich’s leading scorer, is central to manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the 2026 World Cup campaign starting in June. At 32, Kane aims to end England’s 60-year trophy drought with his third World Cup appearance, following a record-breaking club season.

Harry Kane’s record goalscoring achievements highlight why Thomas Tuchel is reliant on Harry Kane for England’s 2026 World Cup campaign success. Kane, now 32 years old, recently secured the Golden Shoe as Europe’s top goalscorer for a second time after scoring 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances, driving Bayern Munich to their 34th Bundesliga title.

In September, Kane reached a century of goals for Bayern in just his 104th match, setting the fastest milestone for any player at a single club in Europe’s top five leagues this century. The forward concluded the season with 61 goals for the German club, including a hat-trick in the German Cup final. Kane also holds the records as Tottenham’s all-time top goalscorer with 280 goals, England’s record goalscorer at 78, and the highest-scoring English player in the Champions League with 54 goals.

England manager Thomas Tuchel, who was Bayern Munich manager when Kane joined the club in 2023, recently announced his 26-man squad for the World Cup. Tuchel stressed having “specialists for all kinds of different scenarios” but confirmed the team has no replacement for the forward. After England’s 2-1 defeat to Japan in March, when Kane did not play, Tuchel stated, “In the absence of Harry Kane, we don’t have the same threat.” He added that no top team or nation can replicate the impact of top players like Kane.

Bayern’s honorary president Uli Hoeness called Kane the club’s best-ever signing, underlining his influence. Kane made his international debut in 2015 against Lithuania at Wembley, scoring shortly after entering as a substitute. Despite his consistent success with club and country, Kane remains underappreciated by some.

Criticism of Kane’s international record arises partly due to goals coming in qualifiers against lesser teams and the nature of his 2018 World Cup Golden Boot, in which only one goal was from open play. Former England striker Chris Sutton dismissed doubts over Kane’s quality, noting the lack of a comparable replacement as England approach the World Cup.

Kane’s performances in major tournaments have varied: no goals at Euro 2016, six at the 2018 World Cup leading to the semi-final, top scorer at Euro 2020 with England finishing runners-up, and a quarter-final exit at the 2022 World Cup marked by a missed penalty against France. The 2024 Euro saw England lose the final to Spain, with Kane’s form described as underwhelming. Nonetheless, with 15 goals, he remains England’s highest scorer in major competitions.

Beyond scoring, Kane contributes as a playmaker, a role he emphasized in remarks to UEFA.com by stating the importance of impacting the team irrespective of goal presence.

His recent move to Bayern Munich ended his wait for a major club trophy following an unsuccessful bid at Tottenham. Achieving success with England at the upcoming World Cup, which starts with a group stage game against Croatia on June 17, could consolidate his legacy as one of England’s greatest footballers.