After overcoming Mexico in a round-of-16 match for the ages, England are set to face Norway in the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.
If Thomas Tuchel's side are to progress, they will likely need captain Harry Kane to impose himself on another match.
They will also need to keep Kane's opposite number, Erling Haaland, quiet -- a feat no national team has been able to achieve for nearly two years.
There are so many storylines for the upcoming quarterfinal, but this is perhaps the biggest: who will come out on top, Kane or Haaland? Here is what the stats say.
Haaland leads Kane in the Golden Boot race
It feels harsh on Kane to say it, but Haaland has probably had the better World Cup in front of goal so far.
The Norwegian has seven goals, putting him level with Kylian Mbappé, one behind Lionel Messi and one ahead of Kane in the Golden Boot standings.
What's more, he has done that having played a game fewer than each of them -- Haaland was benched as Stale Solbakken made 10 changes in Norway's final group game against France, with the Scandinavian side having already qualified for the knockouts.
That means that Haaland's goals per 90 minutes (1.8) are significantly higher than Kane's (1.2) this summer. With an xG of 4.4 compared to Kane's 3.4, he is also finding better opportunities.
On top of that, all seven of Haaland's goals have been scored from open play, while two of Kane's -- against Croatia and Mexico -- have been from the penalty spot.
Haaland's stunning drive against Brazil was the only time either player has scored from outside of the box this summer.
The Norwegian has scored four times with his left foot, twice with his right and once with his head, while Kane has scored three headers and three times with his right foot.
Kane has had the better season
When Kane moved to Bayern Munich from Tottenham back in 2023, even he might not have predicted it would go this well.
The 2025-26 season has been Kane's best yet, with his penalty against Mexico on Sunday night taking him to 73 goals for club and country this campaign, a figure worthy of outright second in the all-time charts, one ahead of another Bayern great: Gerd Müller in 1972-73.
The 32-year-old's goals propelled his club to a league and cup double.
They also meant that only Lionel Messi, with 82 in 2011-12, has scored more than the Englishman in a single season.
Haaland did not do too badly himself, however, winning the Premier League's Golden Boot for a third time in four seasons with 27 goals.
In total, the Norwegian has managed 58 goals in 63 appearances -- 38 for City and a ridiculous 20 in 11 games for his country.
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Both have dominated international football for years
Speaking of which, Haaland is in the midst of a record-breaking 14-game scoring streak in competitive games for his country, stretching back to a 4-1 Nations League win over Slovenia in November 2024.
During that time, he has scored 27 times, including braces against Brazil, Senegal, Iraq, Italy and Estonia, hat tricks against Israel and Kazakhstan and five in one game against Moldova.
It means that, in total, Haaland has a phenomenal 62 goals in 54 caps for Norway, making him the nation's all-time leading goalscorer, with nearly double the goals of the next-highest scorer, Jorgen Juve.
Kane is also his nation's leading scorer, with 85 goals from 119 caps, 32 more than Wayne Rooney in second.
The Bayern striker's goal against Panama in England's final group stage game also saw him become the country's top scorer at World Cups, overtaking Gary Lineker.
Kane contributes more to his team's attack
If Kane and Haaland were to finish level in the Golden Boot standing, then -- as it stands -- the Englishman would be placed higher.
That's because Kane has one assist (for Jude Bellingham against Mexico) to Haaland's none. Assists are used as a tiebreaker in the event of two players being level for goals.
Indeed, it is not unfair to say that Kane contributes more to the all-round attack than his Norwegian rival.
The Englishman created more chances (35 to 17) and made more passes (727 to 384) than Haaland last season.
His touches per match (43.8 to 22.5) and touches per goal (32.3 to 27.3) in club football this season were also higher than Haaland's, a trend which has continued into the World Cup, where Kane is also higher on both metrics (25.4 to 25.0 touches per match, 21.2 to 14.3 touches per goal).
Surprisingly, however, Haaland actually had more assists than Kane (nine to seven) in club football this season, so the idea that Haaland does not contribute at all other than goals does not really stand up.
They can both take a penalty
If it comes down to it (and it just might), both players have very good records from the spot.
Kane actually had a penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic in England's opening group game against Croatia, only for it to be retaken when it was ruled that Livakovic came off his line too early -- something Kane later explained he'd spotted from watching clips of the goalkeeper.
Across his career, the Englishman has scored 109 of the 123 penalties he has taken, giving him a success rate of just under 89%.
Haaland, meanwhile, has been slightly less successful. His 57 goals from 67 penalties give him a very respectable conversion rate of 85%.
Information from ESPN Global Research and PA contributed to this report.
