​Morgan Rogers has backed Harry Kane to come out on top when England meet Norway’s Erling Haaland in what promises to be a thrilling showdown between two of the World Cup’s top scorers this Saturday. The quarter-final clash in Miami will pit Kane and Haaland, both among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot alongside Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappe, against each other in a match that could decide the individual prize.
Rogers, the Aston Villa forward, conceded that Haaland—who has seven goals so far—can be incredibly difficult to stop. “Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? I’m not sure they have, but we’re going to try,” the 23-year-old said at England’s Kansas City base camp on Wednesday. “He’s such an unbelievable player. The things he does, the numbers he puts up, you’re just in awe of how good he is, and the level he’s at.”
Haaland has found the net in each of his last 14 competitive Norway outings, tallying 27 goals in total, and Rogers acknowledged that England’s defense will have a real challenge to contain him. Nevertheless, he remains confident in Kane, who is one goal behind Haaland in the race for the World Cup’s top scorer, to emerge victorious. “They’re the two, for me, at the top of their game in this tournament, and they’ve been two of the best players,” he said. “It’s a spectacle, I suppose, for the fans, and it’s going to be a good one to see who comes out on top. I hope it’s Harry, and I’m sure it will be. I think we’ve got that confidence in him. He’s playing at probably the highest level that he’s ever played at, which is madness to say, because of what he’s been doing for so many years.”
Rogers also lauded Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, 23, who has stood out as England’s other standout performer at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The forward spoke of there being no ceiling to how far Bellingham can go. “You forget how young he is; that’s how good he’s been. But I still think there’s a long way to go, and he’ll probably say the same—that drive and hunger for what he wants to achieve is what’s so exciting about being an England fan, an England player, and being his friend. I think it’s just how far he can go. No one really knows, and the idea that there’s no cap on what he can achieve is really exciting.”
Rogers, who entered as a late substitute in England’s dramatic last-16 win over Mexico, admitted it’s hard not to entertain thoughts of a potential final as the tournament nears its end. “We’re all aligned, we’re all on the same page about attacking each game in the best possible way,” he said. “So it’s difficult because we’re all human and excited, as we should be, but at the same time we know we’ve got a job to do, and it’s still a long way away from that yet.”