""I think it's as good as we've ever had," Kane told ITV Sport of his team in Tirana. "When you look at the starting XI, you look at the players coming off the bench, we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites. We have to accept that. "We've been like that for the last two tournaments. That's part and parcel of it.""
"England were already assured of qualification before Sunday's win, but Kane was keen to see his side end the campaign and the year on a high. They head into a World Cup year on a record run of 11 straight victories. "We've set the standard now, especially in the last few camps," he said. "We've carried it on into this camp.""
England completed a flawless World Cup qualifying campaign with eight wins from eight and no goals conceded after a 2-0 victory in Albania. Harry Kane scored both goals and emphasized the squad depth and quality, calling the group among the favourites for the 2026 tournament. Thomas Tuchel has further raised standards following Gareth Southgate's successful run to two Euros finals and a World Cup semi-final. England enter 2026 on an 11-game winning streak, matching a rare European qualifying clean sweep previously achieved by Yugoslavia in 1954. The squad stressed finishing the year positively and maintaining high standards.
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