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There was initial confusion over whether Harry Kane had received a yellow card after conceding a penalty during England’s World Cup 2026 last-16 encounter against Mexico, but it has since been confirmed that he was not booked, much to the relief of England supporters.

The England skipper conceded a penalty following a high challenge on Mexico midfielder Brian Gutierrez in the second half of the match. Referee Alireza Faghani awarded the penalty after reviewing the incident on the VAR monitor.

Raul Jimenez successfully converted the spot-kick to narrow England’s advantage to 3-2. However, Thomas Tuchel’s side, who had been reduced to ten men after Jarell Quansah was sent off earlier, managed to hold firm and seal progression to the quarter-final, where they will face Norway on Saturday.

Television footage on BBC One showed a graphic indicating that Kane had been booked following the penalty decision, sparking concern among fans about a possible suspension.

Players from both teams surrounded referee Faghani immediately after the penalty was given, with Kane and centre-back Marc Guehi standing closest to him. The Australian official then brandished a yellow card, and the on-screen broadcast graphic mistakenly displayed Kane’s name as the recipient.

This led to speculation that the England captain might face a one-match ban if he collected another booking in the next round, as per FIFA’s disciplinary rules, where players receiving two yellow cards during the knockout stages would be suspended for the subsequent match.

However, FIFA’s official match report later clarified that the caution issued in the 68th minute was actually shown to Marc Guehi, not Harry Kane, confirming that the television graphic was in error.

World Cup broadcasts are managed by FIFA’s Host Broadcast Services, ensuring that fans worldwide view identical camera feeds, graphics, and replays. The mistake, therefore, appeared universally across all international coverage.

Kane remains in the clear, having avoided cautions in both the round of 32 and the last-16 fixtures. The only scenarios in which he could miss a potential semi-final would be through a red card against Norway or an injury.

Marc Guehi is one of four key England players currently walking a disciplinary tightrope, as another booking in the quarter-final would rule him out of the semi-final. The others in this group are Jude Bellingham, who was booked against DR Congo in the last-32 tie, along with Declan Rice and Nico O’Reilly, both of whom received yellow cards during the Mexico game.

According to tournament regulations, yellow cards are expunged after the quarter-final stage. Therefore, a player can only miss the final if he is sent off in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Jarell Quansah’s red card against Mexico has earned him a one-match suspension, ruling him out of the clash with Norway. Should England advance, the right-back will be eligible to return for the semi-final.