England captain Harry Kane believes he has elevated his game to "another level" and has now established himself as a proven winner.
Kane, 32, even conceded he has a "different feeling" with a "weight off his shoulders" having grown accustomed to lifting silverware with European powerhouse Bayern Munich.
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The striker has shattered goalscoring records, claimed the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, and is channeling that self-assurance into his sixth major international tournament as a player.
-Credit:Kevin Voigt, Getty ImagesThose achievements have helped Kane grow as a forward, a leader, and as England's captain, to the point where he now believes this could represent his finest shot at claiming the ultimate prize, as per The Mirror.
Kane will lead England out in their Group opener against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, and the former Tottenham Hotspur star said: "I think there's a different feeling for sure. For me personally to have that weight off my shoulders is important. Especially this year having the trophies and having the cup final where I scored a hat-trick, my first big moment in a final – I think that is only going to help me as a player.
"Also I think the perception around me has probably changed in the last few years, the fact that I've won those trophies means I'm seen a bit differently from the outside or by people around, and maybe even teammates, I'm not quite sure.
"Just in terms of the general feeling about me I think there's been a shift but it's not just me, our squad this year a lot of us have been in winning teams, won trophies and had big moments where they've been the star of that moment. So that as a team will only help us in this experience."
The Three Lions bowed out at the quarter-final stage in Qatar against France four years ago, but now enter this competition under manager Thomas Tuchel with a fierce determination to break 60 years of anguish since their solitary win in 1966.
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Kane became a target of online mockery for his trophy-less spell at childhood club Tottenham. He's also battled concerns over conditioning and sharpness heading into past competitions, but this time he arrives at World Cup 2026 following a record-shattering 61-goal campaign. It represents Ballon d'Or-caliber performance.
"I'm coming into it in the best way possible, the best place physically, mentally, coming off the season that I've had," said Kane. "Throughout a career, there aren't loads of times when all the pieces of the puzzle will come together at the right moment.
"Talking now, I feel like I'm in that place. I feel, like you said, the last couple of years I have been elevated to another level, even from my own standards. Maybe the freedom I'm playing with now, having won those trophies, has helped that.
"But with every tournament, I always feel like, especially being the striker, being the goalscorer, you're under pressure, people expect you to be the one to score and win the game and help the team in that sense and I guess this is no different.
"But I'm comfortable having that responsibility, and I'm probably even more comfortable going into this year because of the way the season was for me, for sure."
-Credit:Eddie Keogh - The FA, The FA via Getty ImagesKane revealed that every tournament he has participated in has taught him valuable lessons. Yet he also believes that setbacks — such as his penalty miss against France in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in Qatar — only fuel his drive further.
He added: "Obviously this is my sixth tournament now. Some good, some not so good. You learn through every moment. I've done that throughout my career. It's very rare that you're going to have a career at this level, play at that many tournaments, without having some ups and downs along the way.
"I feel like the downs especially have almost motivated me to be better, going back to the last World Cup and the disappointment with the way that ended.
"After the time it took me to process it all and move on, it gave me an extra bite, an extra edge to really improve and push on. And get back to this stage where I am now. I couldn't be in a better place from that sense.
"As an experienced player, someone who's gone far in tournaments, you have to be patient. Of course we want to start in the best way possible, we want to start with a win and I want to start by scoring goals but that is not always the case.
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"In World Cups, things can be taken out of context. If you go two games without scoring in a World Cup there is a lot of noise around you. Two games without scoring for Bayern Munich and nobody bats an eye.
"From that side, I feel like I've dealt with those things well. I might have to do the same here. Hopefully not, hopefully I'll start well but we'll have to wait and see. So I think we have to take bits of that into this tournament for sure.
"The World Cup is the biggest stage and the highest pressure but if you can have those feelings of freedom on the pitch and also just being together, knowing that we all have each other's backs no matter what happens I think allows people to be at their best.
"Of course time will tell. I'm always sceptical about talking pre-tournament because ultimately it's going to be determined by what we do on the pitch and we're going to have to show it with the football we play. But essentially we have confidence going into this World Cup for sure."
Tuchel shifts into tournament modeOne factor England will be counting on to push them over the finish line is manager Tuchel. And Kane has indicated that the German tactician is now firmly locked into tournament mode.
Tuchel and Kane previously worked together at Bayern -Credit:Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesEngland captain Kane says he's observed a shift in Tuchel's approach and demeanor as the tournament's critical phase begins. Kane said: "The manager, I think for sure, will start to change. Already, some of the meetings that we had have been extremely passionate.
"I felt that a little bit also at Bayern Munich as we got later on in the Champions League, the feeling you got from him was even more intense and even more passionate, and he's someone who wears his heart on his sleeve.
"So, 100 percent there will start to be a little bit of a shift. I feel like there has already a little bit. We were in prep camp, so we didn't want to be too intense too early, so I think that will come.
"Already being here in Kansas, and the meetings leading up to the first game. We'll see, obviously, as we go along. The manager is extremely experienced in big tournaments, major tournaments, and I think he'll find the right tone as we go along."
Kane targets England milestoneHarry Kane has discussed achieving his ambition of matching his idol, David Beckham. Three Lions captain Kane was photographed with Beckham as an 11-year-old at the England icon's soccer academy back in 2005.
Kane will match David Beckham's 115 England caps against Croatia -Credit:David Ashdown, Getty ImagesNow, Kane will match Beckham's mark of 115 caps when he takes the field against Croatia and could surpass Wayne Rooney during this competition as the most capped outfield player in history.
It will be a landmark occasion for Kane, who says he is living out his childhood ambitions as he closes in on his sixth major tournament appearance. Kane said: "First of all, extremely proud to hopefully reach the same amount of caps as Sir David.
"He was a hero of mine growing up. I was a massive England fan and him being England captain, he was a big inspiration to me, just the way he worked on the pitch, but also how he was off the pitch as well."