England’s road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has hit a tiny pothole — shaped suspiciously like Harry Kane’s ankle.
The Three Lions are gearing up to face Wales in a friendly on October 9 at Wembley Stadium, a warm-up before their World Cup qualifier against Latvia on October 14. Win that, and England can officially book their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
But just as the mood was hitting Wembley-roar levels of excitement, Thomas Tuchel and Gareth Southgate received some unwanted news — their captain and goal machine, Harry Kane, picked up an ankle knock. The 32-year-old striker, who’s been in red-hot form for Bayern Munich, suffered the injury after scoring in their 3-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on October 4. Kane was substituted in the 85th minute, probably before Tuchel could bubble-wrap him for England duty.
According to The Independent, the England skipper was absent from full team training this week. Instead, he joined Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah for a light indoor session — a move that sounds less like tactical preparation and more like a cautious “keep him away from grass” policy.
The good news? The injury isn’t considered serious. The bad news? Kane’s participation against Wales is hanging by the thinnest of physio tape.
Ever the optimist, Kane brushed off concerns after Bayern’s win, insisting the knock was minor. “I am recovering at the moment. I took a knock. A few days and then I should be fine, so no problem for the national team. I will be there on Monday,” he told reporters, according to GOAL.
Still, England fans have been through enough ankle-related trauma over the years to know better than to relax. If Kane doesn’t make it, expect Southgate to experiment — possibly with a striker who still needs to show ID at the pub.
For now, all eyes (and ice packs) are on Kane as England inch closer to sealing their World Cup spot. One thing’s for sure: if the skipper does play, expect him to score — even if he’s doing it on one leg.
