It was slow to start, but second-half goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane helped England beat Panama, 2-0, in the Group L finale in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The sellout crowd of 80,663, there seeing the fourth match at NY/NJ Stadium so far this tournament, withstood a downpour of rain during the contest. Admittedly, the weather did not seem to effect the play on the field.
The result means England's match in the Round of 32 will be against the third-place team from Group K, DR Congo, on Wednesday, July 1, in Atlanta with kickoff at 12:00 pm ET.
Panama, already eliminated entering this match, played a better game against the one-time World Cup champions than they did in their 2018 tournament debut when they lost 6-1 to England.
Panama: 0.66 xG, 13 shots, 2 shots on target, 33% possession, 268 passes, 75% pass accuracy, 16 fouls, 3 corners, 4 saves
England: 1.56 xG, 17 shots, 6 shots on target, 67% possession, 558 passes, 88% pass accuracy, 13 fouls, 7 corners, 2 saves
Goals:
• England, Jude Bellingham, 62'
England, Harry Kane, 67'
Attendance: 80,663
England in control
England coach Thomas Tuchel made five changes following his team's disappointing draw vs Ghana on the previous matchday. Nico O'Reilly and Jarell Quansah started at the back, while Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka, and Marcus Rashford came into the midfield and attack.
It was a cagey first half, but one where England was consistently the better team. Controlling the ball, the Europeans had more shots and corner kicks than their opponent, but they struggled to create threats in the final third.
The Three Lions looked to their wings to try to break down Panama. Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, Barcelona's Marcus Rashford, and his teammate but rival in Spain, Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, were the consistent play makers aiming for someone in the box. Usually Harry Kane or Morgan Rodgers.
That predictability played into Panama's strength in defense. England could not get behind Panama, who shuffled and blockaded the box frequently. It made the Europeans look slow.
The best chance came in first-half stoppage time as Kane was fouled by Minnesota United's Carlos Harvey about 10 yards from the penalty area. With a chance to take the lead just before the half, Marcus Rashford aimed well but shot just wide right of the net. A frustrating end to a soggy first half, with England finishing with a total of just 0.49 expected goals (xG) in the opening 45 minutes.
Panama's fast breaks
Panama seemed to know what it could do and what it couldn't coming into the final group stage match.
England's struggles unlocking a hunkered-down defense became Panamanian chances. You could start to feel the anxiety building around the stadium, which was filled with a majority pro-England crowd. The back four of England pushed up high, allowing Panama to hit off counters. The one-on-one chances were plentiful and Panama found the space to threaten more often then not.
Tuchel’s team was too open at the back, relying on a few too many one-on-ones, and there were moments when Panama found spaces.
The CONCACAF side's best chance of the half came right out of the first hydration break. In the 27th minute, José Luis Rodríguez ran in on the left side, shooting for the lower left corner as he made space away from Jarell Quansah. It required a save from Jordan Pickford.
Quansah, who was replacing the injured Reece James at right back, struggled all game. He eventually came off injured himself around a quarter of an hour into the second half. Something England may have to contend with for the remainder of the tournament, with their right-back options dropping like flies.
Panama continued to try and work long balls and counters for the remainder of the half. Former Red Bull New York defender Michael Amir Murillo may have had a chance just north of the half hour mark, but he couldn't control the ball near the right post. Or in the 42nd minute when José Córdoba was able to play around two England players on the right side, trying but failing to find a Panama player to connect with.
England breaks through, Kane makes history
As it turns out, long balls played from the sides would eventually work for England. England continued to work the wings and had a chance early in the second half in the 52nd minute. A Rashford pass from the left side tried to find Kane, but the ball hit off him before a Panama player hit it off his own teammate. The potential own goal lifted over the bar.
In the 62nd minute, England's sixth corner of the game was sent into the area by Bukayo Saka. As the ball came in, Jude Bellingham was tussling with Jorge Gutiérrez. The Real Madrid midfielder did enough to stick his left foot out, redirecting the ball into the left side of the net to give England the lead. Orlando Mosquera may have had a chance to stop it, but the keeper looked more stunned as he watched the ball go into the net.
Jude Bellingham stays composed to score through the contact 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/lmrtIaFhhR
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 27, 2026
A few minutes later, England used a similar strategy to essentially lock the game up. A long pass found Bellingham on the left side of the attacking area, with only one player to beat. The midfielder took his time, prodding at both sides, before creating space and sending the ball into the box. A leaping Harry Kane rose to head the ball into the back of the net and double the lead, in the process becoming England's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, now with 11 career goals at the tournament.
HARRY KANE, ENGLAND'S ALL-TIME LEADING GOALSCORER AT THE FIFA WORLD CUP 🏴
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 27, 2026
Fantastic header from the captain to double the Three Lions' advantage! pic.twitter.com/9lLzLd5zsY
The game was more comfortable from there for England, who only needed to see out the result and hold back a Panama team that couldn't do much if their opponent wasn't trying to do much. England would finish first, and the in-stadium update announcing Croatia beating Ghana did little to rile up the crowd.
England nearly had a chance to add onto its lead in the first minute of stoppage time when substitute attacker Noni Madueke had a one-on-one chance against Mosquera. The Arsenal player shot point-blank at the keeper, though, allowing Panama to counter. On that counter, José Fajardo headed clear down the middle of the pitch, controlling the ball and beating Pickford into the top-right of the net — but the flag went up for offside and the goal didn't count.
