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2026 FIFA World Cup
24JUN

England draw 0-0 with Ghana, a 13th time

2 min read
09:29UTC

England's goalless draw with Ghana in Boston was their 13th scoreless World Cup draw, more than any other nation, and Harry Kane skied an open goal late.

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Key takeaway

England set a record for scoreless World Cup draws as Kane missed an open goal late on.

England drew 0-0 with Ghana in Boston on Tuesday 23 June, their 13th scoreless draw at a World Cup, more than any nation has managed⁠1. The next teams on that list have nine. England are the four-time semi-finalists who reached the 2018 last four and the 2022 quarter-finals; Ghana, the Black Stars, are four-time African champions back at a World Cup after missing 2022.

Harry Kane skied the rebound over an open goal in the 87th minute after Nico O'Reilly's header had struck the bar. Kane equalled Gary Lineker's England World Cup scoring record in the opener against Croatia, so the miss stung doubly: the tournament's form striker fluffing the clearest chance of a goalless night.

England and Ghana both leave Group L on four points, England ahead only on goal difference, with the section still unresolved. The caution that keeps England hard to beat has historically failed them once a tournament demands goals, and a group stage that has now produced none in this fixture defers that question rather than answering it.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

England drew 0-0 with Ghana, meaning neither team scored. It was England's 13th goalless draw at a World Cup, which is more than any other country has ever managed in the tournament's history. Harry Kane, England's captain and their main striker, had a chance to win the game in the 87th minute but missed with the goal open. Both England and Ghana have four points in their group, which means goal difference will decide who finishes higher if they both win or draw their final match. A scoreless draw keeps both teams nervous about their progress.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

England's conversion problem in World Cup scoreless draws traces to a tactical dependency on wide attacks and set pieces, two delivery modes that mid-block defences can organise against most effectively. The 48-team format also changes group dynamics: Ghana and England both knew a draw was survivable given their existing four points, reducing the incentive for either team to take defensive risks to force a winner.

The 87th-minute miss by Kane is structurally different from the tactical pattern: it is an individual execution failure on a high-pressure chance. These are the outlier moments that separate the draw record from an analytical verdict on England's system.

What could happen next?
  • Risk

    England enter the round of 32 relying on goal difference to determine seeding within Group L, which affects the draw for the knockout bracket.

  • Meaning

    The 13-draw record sets a marker that England will carry into every future World Cup as a statistical identity, regardless of whether the underlying tactical cause changes.

Sources:Sky Sports
Mentions:Ghana →Sky Sports →The Guardian →Italy →World Cup →Croatia →Gary Lineker →Brazil →Boston →England →Harry Kane →Nico O'Reilly →
First Reported In

Update #28 · Ronaldo answers Messi at the era's far end

Sky Sports· 24 Jun 2026
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AI-assisted, human-edited under the editorial responsibility of Bannermedia Ltd. Reviewed by Ed Woodcock on 24 June 2026. Editorial standards.