Harry Kane Breaks England Caps Record With 126th Appearance Against Croatia

Updated 22:02 UTC: Full time at Wembley, England beat Croatia 2-1 and reach the quarter-finals

Updated 22:02 UTC, Nov. 12, 2026. England beat Croatia 2-1 at full time at Wembley, TNT Sports and The Times reported, and the win sent England into the Nations League quarter-finals in March. Morgan Rogers put England ahead in the 24th minute, Petar Sucic equalised in the 59th minute, and Kane converted a penalty minutes later for his 92nd England goal, on the night he won his record 126th cap.

Harry Kane became the most capped men's player in England history on Thursday night, starting the Nations League match against Croatia at Wembley to win his 126th cap and move one clear of Peter Shilton.

A ceremony before kickoff

The record was marked on the pitch before the match began. Shilton, the goalkeeper who had held the record since 1989, presented Kane with a commemorative token, Reuters reported, and the Prince of Wales gave the captain a shirt with 126 on the back. Kane, the only player pictured on the cover of the matchday programme, also showed the crowd the Ballon d'Or trophy he won last month.

Croatia captain Luka Modric, who played with Kane at Tottenham Hotspur, presented him with a replica of the first football brought to Croatia by English industrialists in 1880, Reuters reported.

A goal on his record night

Morgan Rogers put England ahead in the 24th minute, The Times reported, and Petar Sucic equalised for Croatia in the 59th minute. Kane then scored a second-half penalty to put England back in front at 2-1. The goal was his 92nd for England, and it left him eight short of the 100 goal mark he has named as his next target.

"We spoke in the last camp about the 100 goals for England, I think that's another incredible milestone to try and reach as soon as possible," Kane said earlier in the week, in comments reported by Reuters.

Eleven years to the record

Kane equalled Shilton's record on October 6, scoring twice in a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic at Wembley, Sky Sports reported. His first cap came in 2015, as a substitute against Lithuania, and he scored 79 seconds after coming on, Reuters reported. He has played under five England managers, starting with Roy Hodgson.

He broke Wayne Rooney's England scoring record in 2023, with a penalty against Italy, and he became England's most capped outfield player with his 121st cap, Reuters reported. His 91 goals before Thursday were 38 more than Rooney's total.

Kane also holds the England records for major tournament appearances with 36, goals at major tournaments with 21, tournament matches as captain with 32, and goals at Wembley with 31, according to Reuters. England manager Thomas Tuchel has described Kane as the perfect captain and a leader by example, Reuters reported.

Shilton, now 77, won his 125th cap at the 1990 World Cup at the age of 40. He told FIFA.com he could not think of anyone better than Kane to take the record, "not only because of his football record but also the type of person that he is. He's been a great professional and has an impeccable CV," in comments reported by Reuters.

England close their Nations League group away to Spain on Sunday, TNT Sports reported.