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35 days to go: Eleven Englishmen compose a classic

May 7, 2026 3 min read
35 days to go: Eleven Englishmen compose a classic

At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, England completed an astonishing 35 consecutive passes before Jack Grealish scored against Iran — the most passes leading to a goal in World Cup history up to that point.

Every England player, including goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, participated in this remarkable build-up. Beginning with Declan Rice taking a short free kick, the sequence lasted 86 seconds before ending with Grealish's tap-in. Jude Bellingham completed an unmatched nine passes during the move, including a brilliant delivery that allowed Callum Wilson to set up Grealish for an easy finish.

This record surpassed the previous mark of 25 consecutive passes shared by two teams — Argentina's Cambiasso goal against Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 Germany World Cup, and England's Kane goal against Panama at the 2018 Russia World Cup.

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