World Cup 2026: Should England have been given a penalty for fouling Harry Kane?

When Harry Kane went down in the box, it looked like England had a golden opportunity to equalize against DR Congo late in the first half of their round of 16 tie. The Three Lions captain received the pass, flicked the ball past goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and ended up on the ground. There was indeed contact and Kane was confident he should have been awarded a penalty, but referee Adham Mahadme rejected England's claims. The Jordanian referee made it clear that the striker was feigning, but did not show him a yellow card for this violation. Following a VAR review, the referee's decision was upheld and England were left one goal down at the end of the first half after Brian Chipenga's seventh-minute strike. However, Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes to give his side a 2–1 victory and progress to the round of 16 against Mexico on 6 July.

"It's so difficult," said former Premier League assistant referee Darren Caen. “There are four of us here, two think it’s a penalty, two think it’s not, and therefore there is no clear and obvious violation for VAR.

“From a live game perspective it looks like a penalty, a light touch on Harry Kane's ankle from the goalkeeper and he expects a penalty to be awarded.

"From the referee's point of view, Kane puts his feet together, trips, and it doesn't look like a clear foul. That's the difference. To me, it's a penalty. The referee's decision would have stood if he had awarded a penalty, VAR wouldn't have intervened."

As Kane noted, pundits in the BBC studio were divided on whether a penalty should be awarded, and former England striker Wayne Rooney was not convinced Kane had been fouled. “I'm all for the strikers, but I think Harry Kane tripped a little himself and jumped a little at the goalkeeper,” he said. "I think he's faking it, so it's probably not a penalty." However, the ex-Manchester United player was in the minority.

"If it's on my water bottle, I'm calculating where Kane's next penalty will be," added former England goalkeeper Joe Hart. "Mpasi will be happy when he looks up and sees that the referee didn't award a penalty because I would have expected it to be awarded against me."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards added: "I just think Lionel Mpasi touches Harry Kane so I want it to be a penalty." Pundits on BBC Radio 5 Live believe Kane made the contact but agree it was a foul on Mpasi's part. “Definitely a penalty,” added former Lionesses captain Steph Houghton. "I think even if Kane initiated the contact, where else would he go when Mpasi comes on so quickly? I'm so shocked that VAR didn't overturn that decision, to be honest." Former goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who played for England at the 2006 World Cup, said: "If England lose there will be a lot of discussion about this because it's a clear foul. Harry Kane initiates the contact but there is contact. He's very smart, very experienced and goes after the goalkeeper."

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