England’s 7-0 victory over Croatia was not the largest result in the national team’s history. It was not even their biggest win of the 21st century. However, the quality of the opposition made it one of the most remarkable.
The Three Lions have recorded two larger winning margins since 1 January 2001, both against San Marino. The Croatia result joins victories over North Macedonia and Montenegro as England’s joint-third-biggest win of the century.
This list covers the England men’s senior team and ranks matches by winning margin.
England’s Biggest Wins of the 21st Century
| Rank | Match | Date | Competition | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Marino 0-10 England | 15 November 2021 | World Cup qualifying | 10 goals |
| 2 | San Marino 0-8 England | 22 March 2013 | World Cup qualifying | 8 goals |
| 3= | Croatia 0-7 England | 3 October 2026 | UEFA Nations League | 7 goals |
| 3= | England 7-0 North Macedonia | 19 June 2023 | European Championship qualifying | 7 goals |
| 3= | England 7-0 Montenegro | 14 November 2019 | European Championship qualifying | 7 goals |
1. San Marino 0-10 England – 15 November 2021
England’s largest victory of the 21st century came in their final qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.
The Three Lions travelled to Serravalle knowing that a victory would confirm their place in Qatar. Any remaining tension disappeared quickly as Harry Maguire opened the scoring and Harry Kane struck four times before half-time.
Emile Smith Rowe, Tyrone Mings, Tammy Abraham and Bukayo Saka also scored, while Filippo Fabbri put through his own net. San Marino finished the game with ten men following Dante Rossi’s dismissal.
The result was England’s first double-figure victory since a 10-0 win over the United States in 1964. It also completed an unbeaten qualifying campaign in which Gareth Southgate’s team collected 26 points from ten matches.
Kane’s four goals moved him level with Gary Lineker on 48 England goals at the time. They also completed an international window in which the striker scored seven times across two appearances.
England were expected to win comfortably, but scoring ten goals away from home remains an extremely rare achievement at international level.
2. San Marino 0-8 England – 22 March 2013
Eight years before England scored ten in Serravalle, they had already inflicted one of San Marino’s heaviest defeats.
Roy Hodgson’s side took the lead through an own goal by Alessandro Della Valle. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jermain Defoe, Ashley Young, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge subsequently joined the scoring.
Defoe was the only England player to score twice.
There was little suspense once England established an early advantage. San Marino struggled to escape their own half, while the visitors continued to create chances regardless of the combination of players involved.
The result remains England’s second-largest victory of the 21st century. However, it did not settle their qualification campaign. England still needed important results against Montenegro and Poland before securing a place at the 2014 World Cup.
The 8-0 scoreline was also England’s biggest away victory since beating Turkey by the same margin in 1984.
3. Croatia 0-7 England – 3 October 2026
The scoreline places this match level with two other 7-0 victories, but the quality of the opposition separates it from the rest.
Croatia were not an international minnow. They had reached the 2018 World Cup final, finished third in 2022 and remained one of Europe’s most respected tournament teams. England were therefore facing an opponent with considerably stronger credentials than the teams normally associated with seven-goal defeats.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored twice each, while Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers completed the rout. Bellingham also supplied three assists as England overwhelmed Croatia in Rijeka.
It became Croatia’s heaviest defeat and England’s biggest victory in the UEFA Nations League. The result also equalled the Three Lions’ longest winning run away from home.
The official England statistics showed that Kane, Bellingham, Gordon and Saka became the first four different England players to score in the opening half of the same match since the 8-0 victory over San Marino in 2013.
Unlike the wins over San Marino, this was not simply a case of England eventually breaking down an overmatched defence. They attacked with pace, punished mistakes and repeatedly created space against a team accustomed to competing with the world’s best.
The result is only England’s joint-third-largest victory of the century by margin. In terms of opposition strength, however, it has a strong claim to being the most impressive performance on this list.
4. England 7-0 North Macedonia – 19 June 2023
Bukayo Saka produced the outstanding individual performance of England’s 7-0 victory over North Macedonia at Old Trafford.
The Arsenal winger scored the first hat-trick of his senior career, including a powerful finish into the top corner shortly after half-time. Harry Kane scored twice, while Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips added the remaining goals.
North Macedonia had shown their ability to trouble major nations in previous qualifying campaigns. They defeated Germany away in 2021 and eliminated Italy from the 2022 World Cup play-offs, so England could not treat them as completely harmless opponents.
Once the opening goal arrived, however, the visitors were unable to cope with England’s movement across the front line. Saka attacked from the right, Rashford stretched the defence from the opposite flank and Kane connected the two sides of the attack.
England scored seven times through a controlled performance rather than an endless series of hopeful attempts. It was one of the most clinical displays of the Southgate era and helped the team take firm control of their Euro 2024 qualifying group.
5. England 7-0 Montenegro – 14 November 2019
England’s 1,000th senior men’s international became a celebration at Wembley.
The hosts needed a victory to confirm qualification for Euro 2020 and effectively completed the job during a five-goal first half. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring before Harry Kane recorded a hat-trick. Marcus Rashford also found the net before the interval.
Aleksandar Šofranac’s own goal made it six, while Tammy Abraham scored his first senior England goal to complete the 7-0 victory.
Montenegro offered little resistance, but the occasion gave the result additional historical value. Former internationals were invited to Wembley, heritage numbers appeared on the players’ shirts and England marked their 1,000th match with one of their biggest victories.
Kane’s hat-trick also took him past Alan Shearer, Nat Lofthouse and Tom Finney on England’s scoring list at the time. He required only 31 minutes to score all three goals.
The evening combined qualification, history and an emphatic performance, making it more memorable than a routine victory over a lower-ranked opponent.
Why Croatia 7-0 Stands Apart
Large international victories normally occur when one of Europe’s strongest teams meets a small nation with a limited professional player pool.
That explains why San Marino appear twice in England’s top five. North Macedonia and Montenegro have produced respectable results, but neither possesses Croatia’s recent tournament record.
Before the 7-0 defeat, Croatia had spent much of the previous decade competing near the top of international football. They had defeated England in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and continued to progress deep into major tournaments.
The venue also matters. The victories over North Macedonia and Montenegro were recorded in England, while the Croatia result came away from home.
The match in Rijeka therefore did not need to break England’s all-time scoring record to feel historic. A seven-goal victory over an established European power carries a different weight from scoring eight or ten against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the world.
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England’s Biggest Wins of All Time
| Match | Date | Competition | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland 0-13 England | 18 February 1882 | International match | 13 goals |
| England 13-2 Ireland | 18 February 1899 | British Home Championship | 11 goals |
| Austria 1-11 England | 8 June 1908 | International match | 10 goals |
| Portugal 0-10 England | 25 May 1947 | International match | 10 goals |
| United States 0-10 England | 27 May 1964 | International match | 10 goals |
| San Marino 0-10 England | 15 November 2021 | World Cup qualifying | 10 goals |
| England 9-0 Ireland | 9 March 1895 | British Home Championship | 9 goals |
| Luxembourg 0-9 England | 19 October 1960 | World Cup qualifying | 9 goals |
| England 9-0 Luxembourg | 15 December 1982 | European Championship qualifying | 9 goals |
| Ireland 1-9 England | 15 March 1890 | British Home Championship | 8 goals |
| Wales 1-9 England | 16 March 1896 | British Home Championship | 8 goals |
| Belgium 1-9 England | 11 May 1927 | International match | 8 goals |
| Finland 0-8 England | 20 May 1937 | International match | 8 goals |
| England 8-0 Mexico | 10 May 1961 | International match | 8 goals |
| Turkey 0-8 England | 14 November 1984 | World Cup qualifying | 8 goals |
| England 8-0 Turkey | 14 October 1987 | European Championship qualifying | 8 goals |
| San Marino 0-8 England | 22 March 2013 | World Cup qualifying | 8 goals |
England’s record remains the 13-0 victory over Ireland in 1882. The national team have reached double figures on six occasions, although only the 10-0 win over San Marino occurred in the 21st century.
The 7-0 victory over Croatia does not threaten those historical records. Nevertheless, considering the opponent, the away venue and Croatia’s international pedigree, it may be more impressive than many of the larger scorelines above.
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