Harry Kane: It's Time for England to Write New History at the Azteca

Pulse Sports Team 22:26 - 04 July 2026

England captain Harry Kane has urged his teammates to banish the ghost of Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and forge their own legacy at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Nearly 40 years ago, in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals, Maradona famously scored with his hand, contributing to Argentina's 2-1 victory over England. Now, at the very same stadium in Mexico City, the Three Lions face hosts Mexico in a Round of 16 clash at the 2026 World Cup. The match is scheduled for July 6th at 3:00 AM BST. Kane and company will not only have to contend with a formidable opponent, who has yet to concede a goal in the tournament, but also with the high altitude and the fervent support of the Mexican crowd.

"It's a historic stadium for many different reasons. It's tough to take what happened in that game, but that was a long, long time ago," Kane told DPA. "Forty years ago."

The striker personally met Maradona in 2017 during his time at Tottenham.

"Now it's about writing our own history. We know we have a chance to do something really special in a special stadium. It's not about the past, it's about what we can do in the future," the England captain asserted.

So far, Harry Kane has scored five goals in the World Cup, matching Norway's Erling Haaland. Ahead of them in the top scorer charts are Lionel Messi of Argentina with seven goals and France's Kylian Mbappé with six.