England captain Harry Kane has warned that his side must raise their game significantly when they face Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, despite securing a hard-fought victory over Norway.

Jude Bellingham struck twice to send the Three Lions through, overturning an early deficit after Andreas Schjelderup had fired Ståle Solbakken's Norway ahead with a dipping effort. England's resilience proved decisive, but Kane was candid about the standards required at this level.

Kane's honest assessment

Speaking to ITV after the final whistle — as quoted by The Athletic — the Bayern Munich striker acknowledged there is still a higher gear to find before the tournament's closing stages.

"[Tuchel] just said there in the changing room, obviously, wow, massive congratulations, and we should enjoy it and celebrate," Kane said. "But he still feels like there's a part of him that knows we can do better, which in a way is a good thing. If we're in a semi-final of a World Cup knowing we can still improve, still find another level, then yeah, we've got to take that as a positive."

Kane also pointed to possession as the key area demanding attention, while stressing that England's mental strength remains their greatest asset heading into the final four.

"We have the most important ingredients as a team, we showed that again today. If we can just start ticking a little bit better with the ball, with possession, then yeah, we've got a couple of big games ahead," he added.

Solbakken applauds Norway's effort

On the other side of the result, Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken offered a measured but proud reaction to his players' efforts against one of world football's strongest sides.

"We have been playing at the highest level, and the margins were not in our favour, but that's life, and now we need to breathe a bit," Solbakken said, as quoted by Reuters.

"This is the way it is, this is at the top level, it can't get any higher than this, and we had a few problems in the beginning, the first 20 minutes, but I really applaud the boys," the 58-year-old added, crediting his squad for competing to the very end.

England now prepare for a blockbuster FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against Argentina, with Kane and his teammates well aware that only their best football will be sufficient to advance.