'Empty' Harry Kane breaks silence after England World Cup exit: 'We go again'

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Evening Standard

·16 July 2026

'Empty' Harry Kane breaks silence after England World Cup exit: 'We go again'

Three Lions captain feels his side is still has missing pieces

Harry Kane has promised England will “go away” and “find a way to get better” after they were dumped out of the World Cup at the semi-final stage by Argentina.

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England took the lead shortly after half-time as Anthony Gordon tapped home Morgan Rogers’ cross, but late strikes from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez confirmed their 60-year wait to return to world football’s top table would go on.

In a new statement released via his social media channels, Kane said he has been left feeling ‘empty’ by the defeat.

“No words are big enough right now to overcome this empty feeling in the stomach,” he wrote. “We were close, really close to another final but it wasn’t enough.

Harry Kane could not inspire England to turn over Argentina in the World Cup semi-final

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“We’ve given everything over these last 7 weeks and to fall short is hard to take! I know the expectations are high and rightly so, we’ve been knocking on the door for 8 years now but again are missing that final piece of the jigsaw!

“That’s where we have to go away, process it and find a way to get better. I’m so proud of the boys and what we have shown throughout this tournament - some tough games and tough environments that we have overcome.”

England have enjoyed a memorable campaign despite not going all the way, with victories over Croatia, DR Congo and Mexico sure to live long in the nation’s collective memory.

It remains unclear whether Kane, now 32, will return to lead the line at Euro 2028 but he suggested he might do exactly that as he wrote: “Win or lose, we learn and go again.”

He went on: “Going for glory doesn’t always mean you will get it. You have to fight for it, get knocked down, pick yourself up and go again and that’s what we will do, there’s no other way but to keep believing and keeping pushing.

“Thank you to every single fan that travelled and showed their support in the stadiums. Thank you to every fan back home for believing in us. Thank you to the boys and staff for everything you have given. As always Win or lose, we learn and go again!”

England return to action on Saturday, facing France in the third-place match.