Harry Kane goal sees England beat All Whites 1-0 in FIFA World Cup warm-up match in Tampa

Sunday, 7 June 2026

At Raymond James Stadium, Tampa: England 1 (Harry Kane 45’+2) All Whites 0. HT: 1-0.

Tampa, Florida: Better, from the All Whites, with the caveat that England were far from in top gear as they used a different XI in each half on their way to a 1-0 win in Tampa on Sunday (NZ time).

World No 85 New Zealand were a minute away from being level with their fourth-ranked opponents at the break after a strong first-half showing, but afforded the opposing captain, Bayern Munich star Harry Kane, too much space in such a crucial moment, and he made them pay dearly at Raymond James Stadium.

Max Crocombe played 84 minutes in goal and looks to be coach Darren Bazeley’s man for the FIFA World Cup, after splitting the playing time evenly with Alex Paulsen in the 4-0 loss to Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on the other side of the Sunshine State earlier in the week– the first of two warm-up matches ahead of the tournament.

With the exception of second-half striker Ivan Toney from the Saudi Pro League, England’s squad consisted entirely of players from Europe’s three biggest domestic competitions – the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga.

The All Whites had captain Chris Wood from the Premier League, of course, but also four from England’s lower tiers, including Crocombe, as well as two from A-League Men and two from Major League Soccer in the US, and that was just their first-choice XI, rounded out by Joe Bell from Norway and Eli Just from Scotland

Despite that disparity – and the resulting lack of expectation – New Zealand had plenty to prove in the wake of their worst defeat in nine years, in front of a 25,889-strong crowd.

After shipping four to Haiti, it was probably apt that they spent most of this match out of possession, trying to keep a compact defensive shape, in a set-up that looked like something you might see on a training pitch.

Every time England settled for a shot from well outside the box, or a hopeful cross, it was a win. Sitting in the press box, former England player turned pundit Ian Wright despaired at one point in the first half: “Make the goalkeeper make a save”.

But that’s not to say they didn’t have their moments, with Matt Garbett especially looking sharp after coming in to start and Wood doing a good job of providing a platform as an outlet for goal kicks.

Centre back Finn Surman bounced back well after a poor evening against Haiti, reacting sharply for the most part and making several key interventions. There was one moment where he hung well with Kane in his danger zone at the top of the box.

Just was released a couple of times down the left and might have been better trying to fashion a shot himself instead of crossing.

The All Whites were able to enjoy some stretches of possession as the first half went on, with England not interested in pressing in the heat, in their first pre-World Cup outing.

Shortly after the 22-minute water break – a new introduction for this tournament, effectively turning the match into four quarters, a la an NFL game – the All Whites had their best chance of the half.

Garbett ran in from the right, then cut back and had a curled shot from the top of the box, forcing Jordan Pickford to get down to his left and push it away as it bounced just in front of him.

Crocombe made a sharp save in the 34th minute, when Marcus Rashford shook off Tim Payne and crossed to the back post and Kane rose over Cacace to send a header towards goal.

Down the other end, there were moments when the All Whites needed to send in a hopeful ball for Wood earlier. There were others when their deliveries went agonisingly just in front of their main man, including a ball from Just late in the half.

The All Whites were a minute away from keeping England’s first-half XI scoreless, when Kane was left free at the top of the box while their defenders dropped, then made a late run between Michael Boxall, who had been marking him, and Surman.

He got the faintest of touches on a cross from Djed Spence that sent it into the bottom right-hand corner from his point of view and New Zealand were frustrated when they walked off a minute later.

Cacace stood with his hands on his hips for some time and was the last man down the tunnel, getting a pat on the back from substitute left back Francis de Vries that would have been scant consolation.

“It hurt,” Bazeley said of the timing of the goal, adding: “Coming in at halftime was difficult.

“The boys felt it was an improvement. They felt they were in the game. It was hard work, but it should be. It should be hard work, international football. When you're playing against a team ranked four in the world, it's going to be hard. And I thought we dealt with it pretty well. And now the next step for us is can we now create chances when we're playing against teams of this level?”

England changed their entire XI at the break, while Alex Rufer came on for Bell, who had a strong first half in his first outing for over a month, in his return from a calf injury.

Alex Paulsen was one of five players introduced with six minutes to play as New Zealand finished with an entirely changed team, like their opponents.

The All Whites now fly to San Diego, where they will set up camp as their focus turns to their World Cup opener against Iran in Los Angeles on June 16 (1pm kickoff NZT).

They are set to have a couple of days to recover and have a breather before returning to the training pitch and beginning their preparations for the biggest match the team has had since their last World Cup appearance 16 years ago.