England and major tournaments have not always got on, with the World Cup not having come home since 1966 when they lifted it with a win over West Germany thanks to a Geoff Hurst hat-trick – something that, along with the iconic commentary, remains a key part of the fabric of English football.
Since then, the closest they have come to success has been a spot in the semi-finals. Reaching the last four in 1990, they were knocked out by West Germany before losing to Italy in the third-place play-off.
More recently, they suffered the same fate against Croatia in 2018, falling to an extra-time defeat before being beaten by Belgium as they settled for fourth place once again.
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Beyond that, it has been a case of quarter-final heartbreak at best, with the Three Lions failing to make it out of the group stages in 2014 in Brazil during a dreadful campaign, while they failed to qualify in 1994.
As a result, very few English players have happy memories of World Cups, except those who hit the back of the net with any sort of regularity.
So as Thomas Tuchel prepares to lead his new team to the ultimate international glory, we’ve taken a look at the 12 players who have managed more than two goals at World Cup finals in England colours.
All stats correct as of 25th February 2024.
Rank
Player
England caps
England goals
World Cup goals
Gary Lineker
80
48
Harry Kane
103
69
Sir Geoff Hurst
49
24
Michael Owen
89
40
Sir Bobby Charlton
106
49
Bukayo Saka
43
12
Marcus Rashford
60
17
Steven Gerrard
114
21
David Beckham
115
17
David Platt
62
27
Roger Hunt
34
18
Nat Lofthouse
33
30
12 Nat Lofthouse 3 goals
The first of several players on three World Cup goals for the Three Lions, Nat Lofthouse led the line for England in the 1950s with astonishing effect. In just 33 Three Lions caps, he managed to find the net 30 times, giving him one of the best goals-per-game records for his nation.
All three of his World Cup goals came in 1954 in Switzerland. Coming into it off the back of a 17-goal season with Bolton Wanderers, Lofthouse scored twice in a 4-4 draw with Belgium to help England out of the group stages.
He then netted in the next round but it was in vain as the Three Lions crashed out at the hands of Uruguay thanks to a 4-2 defeat in the last eight.
11 Roger Hunt 3 goals
Roger Hunt is the first of those who were a part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad on this list, but the Liverpool icon is often forgotten among the other greats in English football history.
He appeared just 34 times for England, and was an unused substitute for the entirety of the 1962 tournament, but certainly left his mark four years later.
His World Cup record reads six appearances, three goals and two assists, all without missing a minute of the tournament. He opened his account at Wembley against Mexico in the group stage (with highlights above), before scoring both goals against France in a 2-0 win to ensure that his side topped their group and progressed into the next round.
A Liverpool and England hero overshadowed by the likes of Jimmy Greaves and Sir Geoff Hurst, Hunt’s contribution to England’s success was invaluable.
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ByCharlie SmithFeb 13, 2025 10 David Platt 3 goals
David Platt’s only opportunity to find the net at a World Cup came in 1990 after he was part of the side that notoriously failed to qualify for the 1994 edition, despite Platt himself having scored seven times from midfield in qualifying.
Given his debut by Bobby Robson, Platt scored a last-16 extra-time winner against Belgium before being handed a start in the following game. He repaid that faith by heading in the opening goal as England defeated Cameroon 3-2, and had a goal disallowed in the semi-finals as England were knocked out by West Germany on penalties.
There was time for one more goal for the midfielder, though he may not remember it too fondly as it came in the third-place play-off defeat to Italy days later.
9 David Beckham 3 goals
It is truly shocking that a player of David Beckham’s quality only has three World Cup goals to show for his talent, but his time in major tournaments was forever shrouded in controversy.
The Manchester United and Real Madrid icon was dropped for the first two games of the 1998 World Cup after accusations that he was not concentrating, and after scoring a free-kick in their final group game, he was sent off as England were knocked out by Argentina in the round of 16, with Becks leaving in disgrace.
His revenge came four years later as he scored from the spot to beat Argentina in the group stages, but England again fell flat and were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
He found the net one final time in 2006 against Ecuador, again from a free kick, becoming the first Englishman to score in three separate World Cups, before the Three Lions were eventually knocked out in the quarter-finals once more, this time by Portugal.
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1 ByStephan GeorgiouJul 6, 2024 8 Steven Gerrard 3 goals
Another of the so-called “golden generation” of English talent, Steven Gerrard’s career is perhaps another that deserved more international success. The heartbeat of Liverpool’s midfield for almost two decades, he missed the 2002 World Cup through injury.
It meant that he had to wait until 2006 for his first World Cup goal, and like London buses, a second soon followed as he netted against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden to finish as England’s top goalscorer at the tournament, though he was one of three who missed penalties in the shootout against Portugal.
He captained England into the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and found the net in the forgettable 1-1 draw with the United States before his side were thrashed 4-1 by Germany in the first knockout round.
7 Marcus Rashford 3 goals
Though unlikely at present, it is possible that Marcus Rashford adds to his tally of World Cup goals in an England shirt. The 27-year-old was last in the Three Lions squad almost a year ago, and his career has stalled since.
Once England’s youngest-ever debut goalscorer, Rashford was taken to the 2018 World Cup as a 21-year-old but struggled to make a major impression when given the opportunity – though he did net in the shootout win over Colombia.
Four years later, he had a much more central role; he netted from the bench in a 6-2 thrashing of Iran before scoring twice against Wales to help England qualify as Group B winners in Qatar. However, his chances of adding to that in 2026 look remote at the moment.
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ByCharlie SmithOct 16, 2024 6 Bukayo Saka 3 goals
Though still in the infancy of his England career, Bukayo Saka has already proved himself a big-game player for the Three Lions, and seems to be the undisputed starter on the right-hand side going forward.
The winger has only been to one World Cup so far in his career, having made his international debut just before Euro 2020. However, he left his mark at his maiden World Cup, scoring twice against Iran and once against Senegal to help England into the quarter-finals.
Against France, he was named Player of the Match by outlets on both sides of the channel, but could not prevent his side from falling to a 2-1 defeat and exiting the competition.
Still just 23 years old, he is likely to have at more World Cups left in him, and is likely to shoot up this list in the years to come.
5 Sir Bobby Charlton 4 goals
The Iconic English footballer. Sir Bobby Charlton was the star of the 1960s, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1966 and finishing runner-up in both 1967 and 1968, while his return of 49 goals in 106 outings for England from midfield speaks volumes.
He scored the first of his four World Cup goals in 1962 in a win over Argentina, but had to wait four years to add to that tally. However, as the central force of England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, Charlton scored in the 2-0 group-stage win over Mexico, before scoring two more against Portugal to send England into the final against West Germany.
Charlton continued into the 1970 World Cup, but could not add to his tally and retired on the flight home, at the time leaving as England’s record appearance holder.
4 Michael Owen 4 goals
A prodigious talent robbed of the latter stages of his career by injuries, Michael Owen was already considered the future of English football as a teenager.
Making his debut at 18, he was taken to the 1998 World Cup and became England’s youngest goalscorer at a World Cup when he netted against Romania, before scoring one of his nation’s all-time great goals in the following game against Argentina, before his side eventually went out on penalties.
Four years later, his impact was a little less impressive, with Owen failing to score in the group stages. However, he netted in their last-16 win over Denmark and scored the opening goal against Brazil, before the Three Lions fell to a 2-1 defeat to exit the competition.
2006 saw Owen rush back to fitness, and he suffered a serious knee injury in his side’s final group game which ruled him out of the remainder of the tournament, while he also picked up a hamstring injury ahead of the 2010 World Cup which curtailed his international career.
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1 ByLuke RandallJun 16, 2024 3 Sir Geoff Hurst 5 goals
Responsible for scoring England’s only World Cup-winning goals, Sir Geoff Hurst wasn’t even set to play in the 1966 World Cup, but was thrown into the quarter-final after an injury to Jimmy Greaves and kept his place until the final.
It’s safe to say that it was a sliding-doors moment for both Hurst and the Three Lions, with Hurst having only made his England debut earlier that year.
He scored the only goal of the game against Argentina to help them into the semi-finals, before grabbing a hat-trick in the final (including two in extra-time) to secure the Jules Rimet trophy for England.
He remains the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and win the tournament – a record that could still stand for some time to come. A part of the squad four years later, Hurst could only manage one goal as his side were knocked out by West Germany in extra time.
