England have more belief they can win World Cup than in 2018, says Kane

AL RAYYAN, Qatar : England were still unsure of their full potential when they reached the World Cup semi-finals in Russia four years ago but have now built belief over the years that they can finally win the tournament, skipper Harry Kane said on Friday.

A young and inexperienced England side defied the odds in Russia, where they were eliminated after extra time by Croatia but Gareth Southgate's squad has since proved to be title contenders as they seek their first trophy since 1966.

England reached the final of the Euros last year where they lost in a penalty shootout to Italy, but Kane is confident they can dethrone world champions France when they meet their European neighbours in Saturday's quarter-final.

"Looking back in 2018 we didn't really know what to expect from the group. Of course we went there with the belief that we could win, but it was almost a new experience for a lot of us," Kane said.

"Obviously we got to the semi-final there and everyone was over the moon. But whether we had the full belief to go and win the tournament, I'm not quite sure. I think we backed that up in the Euros, got into another final which we lost (on penalties).

"I feel like the belief has been building and building over the four or five years now. We entered this tournament believing that we can win it... I know we're going into the game with maybe more belief than what we did back in 2018."

Southgate said the experiences the team has been through in the last four years were important reference points which taught the squad how to play tournament football.

"We've had to come through many different ways of winning games. Some defeats have hurt, but we've learned a lot from them and they prepare you for nights like tomorrow where you've