England captain Harry Kane admits it is “too early” to say whether he will still be representing his country at the 2030 World Cup.
The 32-year-old Bayern Munich striker made the comments following England’s painful 2-1 semi-final defeat to defending champions Argentina in Atlanta.
A dramatic late comeback from Argentina ended Thomas Tuchel’s side’s hopes of reaching their first men’s World Cup final since 1966.
Goals from Enzo Fernandez and a second-minute injury-time strike from Lautaro Martinez overturned Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute opener, which he had finished from Morgan Rogers’ cross.
“It’s too early to talk about that,” said Kane when asked about 2030. “For me, it’s about taking it year by year and how I feel.”
Kane pointed to Argentina’s 39-year-old captain Lionel Messi as proof that top-level international football in his mid-thirties remains a realistic possibility.
“Four years is a long way away and I’m 33 in the summer, but as you see with Leo, he’s still performing at the highest level,” Kane said.
“The national team is my pride and joy, it’s what I love to do most. I never want to put a limit on these things.”
Kane has scored six goals at this World Cup and still has a chance of winning the Golden Boot, though Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe are both on eight.
England’s focus now turns to Saturday’s third-place play-off against France, with Tuchel’s squad desperate to salvage something from the tournament.
Defender Dan Burn, introduced as a second-half substitute, was equally devastated by how the game unfolded in the closing stages.
“We nailed the gameplan pretty well. To go 1-0 up… then we got too passive, conceded too many crosses and too many chances,” said the Newcastle defender.
“When you’re playing a team of that quality, it is going to cost you. This will haunt me for a long time, I think.”
England had shown significant resilience earlier in the tournament, beating Mexico 3-2 in the last 16 despite playing most of the second half with 10 men, before defeating Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
Jude Bellingham, who also scored six goals in the tournament, reflected on the painful nature of falling so close to a historic achievement.
“The more beautiful the journey, the more heartbreaking the end is,” said the Real Madrid midfielder. “I’m really proud of all my team-mates – they put in a magnificent shift over the last few weeks.”
Head coach Tuchel acknowledged his side were unable to handle the momentum shift that followed Gordon’s goal, with Argentina throwing caution to the wind in response.
“We went 1-0 up, but it totally turned the momentum in their favour,” Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live. “They took all the risks after. They played totally free after that with all the risks and a lot of quality.”
Tuchel, who retains the backing of the Football Association and is expected to lead England into Euro 2028, believes his squad are capable of eventually winning a major tournament.
“In big defeats it’s important to take them with respect, digest them, stick together,” he said. “We feel very close and still Argentina showed the gap in the last half an hour.”
England have now suffered semi-final exits at two of the last three men’s World Cups, adding further pain to their Euro 2021 and Euro 2024 final defeats.
Kane summed up the dressing room mood simply: “There’s not much to say – everyone is gutted. When you’re so close, 10 minutes away, and it slips out of your hands like that, obviously the lads are devastated.”
