The elimination of England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup left a deep blow to the British squad. After falling 2-1 to Argentina with two goals in the final minutes, Harry Kane admitted the frustration of being one step away from playing in the World Cup final.

The captain of the Three Lions acknowledged that the locker room was affected by the way in which the result escaped, after having the advantage for much of the second half.

Harry Kane admits the pain of being one step away from the final

At the end of the match, Harry Kane did not hide the disappointment left by the defeat against Argentina, especially because of how close England was to getting a ticket to the final.

“When you're that close, just over ten minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that... it obviously hurts,” he said.

The forward assured that the group is still trying to assimilate what happened: “The team is devastated,” said the captain, who added that now each player will have to process the elimination in their own way, he continued.

He also dedicated a few words to the English fans: “We know how much it meant to them to reach the final,” he said.

Kane explains why England lost control of the match

After opening the scoring, England gave ground and allowed Argentina to grow in the match, a situation that ended up being reflected on the scoreboard with goals from Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez.

Regarding that change in the development of the match, Harry Kane explained: "We scored and we deserved to be ahead. And then, for one reason or another, we struggled to get the ball, we struggled to press and we simply allowed them to generate more inertia and create more danger in our final third. Yes, it is a normal mentality to try to hold on and hold on to a one-goal lead."

However, he avoided pointing out whether the approach was correct: “It is not time” to talk about whether the tactical change was correct, he said.

Harry Kane's future with England remains open

At almost 33 years old, Harry Kane was also questioned about his continuity with the English team, although he preferred not to go ahead and make decisions.

The forward explained that he lives his career season by season and made it clear that representing England continues to be a privilege.

Kane acknowledges that England is still close, but without taking the definitive step

The English team's attacker regretted that the team was once again on the verge of an international final and acknowledged that it still needs to make that definitive leap in key moments.

"Another semifinal. We always talk about knocking on the door. We are close. We just need to find that piece that we are missing in the final phase of the tournament," he said.

With six goals in the 2026 World Cup, Harry Kane was one of England's most outstanding footballers, although this time his performance was not enough to avoid an elimination that left the English team without the possibility of competing for the title against Spain.