EAST RUTHERFORD, N,.J. (AP) — Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scored early in the second half, lifting England over Panama 2-0 Saturday and into what appears to be a more favorable bracket for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
On a rainy afternoon before a vocal pro-England crowd that made MetLife Stadium seem like Wembley, Panama held the European power scoreless through a first half in which Kane had 10 touches, the fewest of any player.
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England's Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England's Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates after scoring their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England’s Harry Kane (9) celebrates with England's Jude Bellingham (10) after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England's Harry Kane (9) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
Bellingham put the Three Lions ahead in the 62nd minute from Bukayo Saka's corner kick. Held in bear hug by Jorge Gutiérrez at the top of the 6-yard box, Bellingham stuck out his left leg and stabbed the ball past goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera for his third World Cup goal, his second this year.
Five minutes later, Bellingham crossed from the left flank and Kane outjumped Andrés Andrade to head the ball in for his 82nd international goal. Kane became England's record World Cup scorer with his 11th goal, one more than Gary Lineker.
“Our first job achieved,” Bellingham said. “Just a good combination of play. To give it to Harry again, who just continues to raise his level, is incredible.”
Wearing red jerseys in a tournament for the first time since beating Sweden in a 2018 World Cup quarterfinal, England finished the group with two wins and a draw for seven points. The English play their Round of 32 match Wednesday in Atlanta, likely against Senegal or Congo. The team that advances faces Mexico or Ecuador in Mexico City.
“They have great players. They are worth millions and millions," Panama defender José Córdoba. "We’re talking about English football, which is much more developed than in our country and there’s a huge distance.”
If the Three Lions had dropped to second, they probably would have faced Colombia or Portugal, with the winner meeting Spain, Austria or Algeria.
“We did what was needed. It was what we expected, a tough match against a physical opponent," England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “The bigger the games get, the bigger we will get.”
Panama went 0-3 for the second time and joined Iraq, Haiti, El Salvador, Canada and Mexico — all but one from the CONCACAF region — as teams that lost their first six World Cup matches. José Fajardo put the ball in the net for the Los Canaleros in second-half stoppage time, but was called for offside.
“We can be proud — not of the results, as no one can be proud of a defeat, but all in all I think they gave their everything." Panama coach Thomas Christiansen said. “For the outside world, the image of Panama has been really good.”
Supporters filled the field walls with Cross of St. George flags displaying club names that included Tottenham, Watford and Wolves plus some less-celebrated ones such as Crawley Town, Bristol Rovers and Faversham Town.
England, which won its only World Cup at home in 1966, reached the knockout rounds for the seventh time in eight World Cups.
Jarell Quansah, usually a central defender, replaced right back Reece James, sidelined by a hamstring injury. Nico O’Reilly took over from Djed Spence at left back. Coach Thomas Tuchel replaced three midfielder, using Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers and Marcus Rashford instead of Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Anthony Gordon.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford played his 15th World Cup match, second among English players to Peter Shilton’s 17.
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here.
England's Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England's Jude Bellingham (10) celebrates after scoring their first goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England’s Harry Kane (9) celebrates with England's Jude Bellingham (10) after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
England's Harry Kane (9) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group L soccer match between Panama and England in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
MARYSVALE, Utah (AP) — The largest fire in the United States is marching through deep canyons and over steep mountainsides, blackening an already parched landscape in Utah as residents on the flanks of the fire watch as smoke billows each afternoon.
The Cottonwood Fire already has severely damaged the Eagle Point ski resort and destroyed summer cabins in sparsely populated Beaver County. Campgrounds in Fishlake National Forest are closed, while other public lands in the area have been closed as a precaution.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, in a social media post, asked for prayers for firefighters and “the rains we desperately need.”
“It’s as bleak as it’s ever been ... and yet there were several miraculous stops and saves,” Cox said, referring to the work of the hundreds of firefighters assigned to the blaze.
They are among the crews that have been pouring into Utah as more wildfires in the arid state gain steam thanks to consecutive days of what forecasters call critical fire weather, or dangerously low humidity levels, warm temperatures and gusty winds.
Utah is coming off a record-low snowpack and the warmest winter on record, which helped to elevate the fire danger. Much of the West is grappling with similar conditions, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Nationally, nearly 3 million acres have burned since the start of the year, pushing the U.S. ahead of the 10-year average. From Alaska to Florida, crews were busy Saturday working to corral dozens of fires, including three dozen that were classified as large and uncontained.
Air tankers and helicopters took to the skies Saturday, hoping to put a dent in the flames before afternoon winds kicked up again. On Friday, they were grounded because of deteriorating weather conditions.
The fire ballooned to more than 144 square miles (373 square kilometers). Roughly 1,300 residents in the towns of Marysvale, Junction and Circleville remained on notice that they should be prepared to leave if conditions worsened.
The blaze prompted Cox to declare an emergency, and the state on Friday restricted fireworks, saying Utah is experiencing one of the most severe wildfire seasons in recent history and that the recent blazes are stretching the state’s wildland firefighting capabilities.
“These fires are starting closer to homes and communities,” said State Forester Jamie Barnes. “One human-caused fire is one too many.”
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but state officials say the majority of those sparked so far this year have been human-caused. Forecasters also note that lightning strikes around the West have resulted in fires.
Elsewhere in Utah, evacuations were in place for several small communities southwest of Salt Lake City, including in Eureka, with a population under 1,000, and the Vernon Reservoir area, officials said. Highways running through the area have been closed.
Two wildfires in that area — the Iron and Cherry fires — cover a combined 112 square miles (290 square kilometers), fire officials said.
The towering column of smoke from the Cottonwood Fire was visible Friday from miles away, even from Bryce Canyon National Park to the south and Colorado to the east. It was hazy Saturday as the smoke drifted to the northeast, leaving air quality in places like Bryce and other popular vacation spots to the south unaffected.
Bob Miller was staying at an RV park in Marysvale and was prepared to evacuate if needed. He said the evenings especially have been smoky, but he and his family have still been able to enjoy the area, where they have vacationed for almost two decades.
“It’s still gorgeous,” said Miller, who lives in Yucaipa, California.
“Fires happen around here. When you come every year, you kind of get used to that,” Miller said.
“After you’ve been through burned areas a few times, you look at it and you understand what nature can do,” he added.
The warnings stretched from California to Arizona and New Mexico, where firefighters were battling several blazes amid windy conditions. That included a new fire reported south of Grand Canyon National Park.
Authorities said the flames were moving away from Grand Canyon Village and the nearby community of Tusayan. The area also was without power as the utility serving the area initiated a safety shutoff earlier in hopes of lessening the wildfire risk.
Park visitors could still purchase park passes at entrance stations as long as backup power systems remained operational, but park officials said people should come prepared. That meant downloading maps before arriving and ensuring that phones and other devices are fully charged.
Power shutoffs have become more common in the West as wildfire risk has expanded. It's usually a last resort after utility forecasters weigh factors like sustained wind and gust speeds, available fuels and topography.
With extreme fire conditions persisting in Utah, Rocky Mountain Power also shut off power lines serving Beaver County and other areas.
Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.
A firefighter watches as the Cottonwood Fire burns near Beaver, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A helicopter drops water on the Cottonwood Fire burning near Beaver, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Sunrise on the Cottonwood Fire in Kingston, Utah, on Saturday , June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
A helicopter drops water on the Cottonwood Fire burning near Beaver, Utah, on Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters gather near the Cottonwood Fire near Junction, Utah, on Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
The sun sets over the Cottonwood Fire near Marysvale, Utah, on Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver, Utah, on Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
A plume of smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire, Friday, June 26, 2026, near Beaver, Utah. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
This undated image provided by the U.S. Forest Service Friday, June 26, 2026, shows firefighters responding to the Cottonwood Fire on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, above Birch Lake, near Beaver, Utah. (Mike McMillan/U.S. Forest Service via AP)
A plume of smoke rises from the Cottonwood Fire, Friday, June 26, 2026, near Beaver, Utah. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
