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England vs Croatia — World Cup 2026 Group · Matchday 1

England flagEngland
09days
18hrs
18min
32sec
Croatia flagCroatia
Venue to be confirmed·

Match preview / What to expect

Updated Jun 6, 2026

A box-office Matchday 1 tie at AT&T Stadium in Dallas: England against Croatia, a reunion of the 2018 semi-final that Croatia won 2-1 in extra time to deny the Three Lions a first final since 1966.

Thomas Tuchel's England were the most statistically dominant side in European qualifying — eight wins from eight, 22 scored, none conceded. Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka lead a deep squad; the main debate is the No.10 role and the balance between Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze. Croatia, built on experience, are captained by 40-year-old Luka Modric at a record sixth World Cup, with four players over 100 caps.

Expect England to press the tempo and Croatia to control midfield and slow the game. England's youth and power against Croatia's craft and tournament savvy should make for a compelling, finely poised opener that may decide top spot in Group L.

Key storylines

  1. 012018 revisited: Croatia beat England in extra time in that World Cup semi-final.
  2. 02Tuchel's dominant qualifiers: England won all eight games, scoring 22 and conceding none.
  3. 03Modric's record: the 40-year-old captains Croatia at a record sixth World Cup.
  4. 04England's No.10 puzzle: Bellingham, Rogers and Eze competing for the creative role.
  5. 05Group L decider: this opener could settle who tops the section ahead of Ghana and Panama.

Prediction

Kickoff editorial call

England's form and depth give them the edge, but Croatia rarely make it easy. Projected: England 2-1 Croatia in a tight, high-quality opener.

Projected lineups

Projected XI — not confirmed
England flag

England

Formation 4-2-3-1
  1. 1Jordan Pickford (GK)
  2. 2Reece James
  3. 3John Stones
  4. 4Marc Guehi
  5. 5Myles Lewis-Skelly
  6. 6Declan Rice
  7. 7Adam Wharton
  8. 8Bukayo Saka
  9. 9Jude Bellingham
  10. 10Eberechi Eze
  11. 11Harry Kane
Croatia flag

Croatia

Formation 4-3-3
  1. 1Dominik Livakovic (GK)
  2. 2Josip Stanisic
  3. 3Josko Gvardiol
  4. 4Josip Sutalo
  5. 5Borna Sosa
  6. 6Luka Modric
  7. 7Mateo Kovacic
  8. 8Petar Sucic
  9. 9Andrej Kramaric
  10. 10Ivan Perisic
  11. 11Martin Baturina

Team news

England flag

England

  • England qualified as Group K winners, unbeaten and without conceding a goal.
  • Tuchel's main selection call is the No.10 between Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze.
  • Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka anchor a deep, in-form squad.
Croatia flag

Croatia

  • Luka Modric captains the side at a record sixth World Cup at age 40.
  • Four players have 100+ caps: Modric, Ivan Perisic, Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric.
  • An ageing spine remains Croatia's strength and their long-term concern.

Sources

Preview is editorial. Projected lineups are not confirmed team sheets.

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