The time has finally arrived for England to get their World Cup 2026 campaign underway, with Thomas Tuchel’s side ready to meet Croatia in a Group L opener that is a repeat of their semi-final eight years ago.
Tuchel will have 25 of his 26 players to pick from in Dallas – late injury replacement Trevoh Chalobah is not yet available – with captain Harry Kane set to lead the line in a tournament where the big names have wasted no time in making their impact. But the England boss faces a decision over Bukayo Saka, who needs his fitness managed as he battles an injury. Will the Arsenal star be able to start?
While Croatia are much-changed, and arguably a lesser force, compared to the team that broke England hearts in Russia, Luka Modric remains at the heart of their midfield in a group also featuring Ghana and Panama.
Follow all the action below with kick-off set for 3pm local time or 9pm BST:
Read MoreWhy England are finally ready to deliver on their World Cup destiny
How England plot to avenge years of heartbreak by Croatia in critical World Cup opener
How the World Cup’s great survivor Luka Modric and Croatia could torment England again
England v Croatia - World Cup 2026
- Live coverage of Group L clash between England and Croatia from Dallas | Kick-off 9pm BST
- Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on ITV1 from 8pm
- TEAM NEWS: England face decision over Bukayo Saka's fitness
- Croatia famously beat England in the World Cup semi-finals eight years ago
- MIGUEL DELANEY: How England plot to avenge years of heartbreak by Croatia in critical World Cup opener
England's Group L fixtures
18:39 , Chris Wilson(all times BST)
17 June, 9pm: England v Croatia – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
23 June, 9pm: England v Ghana – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
27 June, 10pm: Panama v England – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
England prepare for World Cup opener
18:30 , Chris WilsonTwo-and-a-half hours until kick-off in Dallas as England are set to open their 2026 World Cup campaign at the AT&T Stadium.
There’s plenty of expectation around Thomas Tuchel’s side, though there’s some trepidation as well as fans prepare to see a full-strength starting XI in a tournament match for the first time under the German.
Croatia will provide stern opposition this evening, though England will be the favourites.
Bellingham to start for England?
18:25 , Mike JonesIn terms of England’s tactical approach much of the build-up to the first game has been concerned with who will start as the No.10.
Jude Bellingham is seemingly being given the nod ahead of Morgan Rogers but we will not know for certain until the team news drops later.
The Real Madrid star is expected to have Arsenal's Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest alongside him in midfield.
Who is Clement Turpin? England v Croatia referee for World Cup who angered Thomas Tuchel
18:23 , Chris WilsonClement Turpin will referee England vs Croatia in the World Cup.
The French official once riled Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel three years ago during his time as Bayern Munich boss.
So much so that Tuchel branded Turpin “Grade E” after receiving two yellow cards in the German club's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City in 2023.
Who is Clement Turpin? England v Croatia referee for World Cup confirmed
Fans heading to Dallas
18:21 , Mike JonesEngland’s first match of the 2026 World Cup takes place at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, near Dallas.
Around 15,000 fans are expected to watch from the stadium and plenty have made their way to the ground already with kick off just under three hours away.
The extraordinary numbers behind Lionel Messi – and the all-time World Cup record now in his grasp
18:14 , Richard JollyThe big news from yesterday – and perhaps the biggest of the World Cup so far on the pitch – came from a familiar face in a 3-0 win for defending champions Argentina...
The journey took him from Gelsenkirchen to Kansas City. It began as an 18-year-old and reached a new level as a 38-year-old. Argentina’s youngest World Cup scorer is also their oldest. He is also, inimitably, Lionel Messi.
Messi’s first World Cup ended in a game in which Miroslav Klose scored one of his 16 World Cup goals; Messi was an unused substitute when Germany knocked out Argentina in 2006. Perhaps revenge came two decades on. Messi drew level with Klose at the top of the all-time standings with his treble against Algeria.
Klose had resigned himself to his fate, anyway. Messi will go past him, Kylian Mbappe surely, too. “The record will be broken eventually,” the German said last week. “Messi is welcome to do it. I'm a huge Messi fan, always have been.”
The extraordinary numbers behind Messi – and the World Cup record now in his grasp
IN pics: England prepare for World Cup opener
18:05 , Chris Wilson
The science of winning the World Cup – inside Thomas Tuchel’s psychological overhaul of England
17:56 , Miguel DelaneyOne of the factors the England manager has been most obsessed with is building the right chemistry, but there is now much more to it than gut feelings about personality. There is a science to it, writes Miguel Delaney in his latest Inside Football newsletter...
The science of winning – inside Thomas Tuchel’s psychological overhaul of England
World Cup fixtures
17:47 , Chris WilsonEngland’s opener is the last game of the day for those in the UK, though fans can look forward to the following action to come on Thursday, 18 June:
- Group L: Ghana vs Panama, kick-off 12am - Toronto, Canada
- Group K: Uzbekistan vs Colombia, kick-off 3am - Mexico City, Mexico
- Group A: Czech Republic vs South Africa, kick-off 5pm - Atlanta, USA
- Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, kick-off 8pm - Los Angeles, USA
- Group B: Canada vs Qatar, kick-off 11pm - Vancouver, Canada
How will England line up against Croatia in their 2026 World Cup opener?
17:38 , Lawrence Ostlere in DallasBukayo Saka will start on the right side, although Tuchel has hinted that fitness issues may limit his minutes at the World Cup – Noni Madueke could turn out to be crucial. Madueke was excellent in England’s best game under Tuchel, the 5-0 thrashing of Serbia in qualifying, and it is possible that Madueke could even usurp Saka as England’s starting winger later in the tournament if he impresses from the bench and Saka struggles for sharpness.
Tuchel’s biggest decision is on the left wing, and a choice between Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford. It is a strange dynamic, given Gordon signed for Barcelona days before travelling out to the US for this World Cup. He is effectively replacing Rashford, who spent the season on loan at the Nou Camp but will not have his temporary stay made permanent. Rashford is expected to find another place to play rather than return to Manchester United, where relations broke down last season.
Kane, of course, will lead the line. The England captain scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich this season, and provided seven assists, in an astonishing campaign. He is pursuing the Golden Boot and the Ballon d’Or in North America, as well as the World Cup.
How will England line up against Croatia in their 2026 World Cup opener?
17:30 , Lawrence Ostlere in DallasJordan Pickford will, of course, start in goal and we have a fairly clear idea of the back four. Reece James and Nico O’Reilly will be the full-backs, and the centre-back pairing will be two of Marc Guehi, John Stones and Ezri Konsa.
Both James and O’Reilly have played in midfield for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively this season and their ability and creativity on the ball – particularly James’s passing range – will add another element to the tenacity of Elliot Anderson and the drive of Declan Rice, England’s preferred pair in central midfield.
Jude Bellingham is most likely to start in the No 10 position. Morgan Rogers played a key role throughout qualifying and Tuchel took a hard line on Bellingham’s inclusion in the squad last autumn. But the Real Madrid midfielder is a leader for England, someone who can take the burden off Harry Kane both in terms of his attacking output, with his runs beyond the striker and by assuming responsibility on the field.
England v Croatia build-up
17:21 , Luke BakerWe’re just under four hours away from kick-off in Dallas now. England fans have made Dallas their own over the past couple of days.
Why England must top their group
17:12 , Lawrence Ostlere in DallasIf the first few days of the 2026 World Cup have taught us anything, it is that predicting how the tournament will pan out is a fool’s errand. Cape Verde were not meant to shut out Spain, many people’s favourites. Australia were not meant to beat a talented Turkey. Morocco were not meant to match the might of Brazil.
We can still try to map out the draw, of course. Theoretically, there should be a material benefit in topping each group. Group winners will be rewarded in one of two ways by Fifa’s new 48-team format: either they will get to play one of the eight third-placed finishers in the round of the 32; or they will meet a second-placed finisher but then avoid facing any other group winners until the quarter-finals at the earliest.
For England – on paper, at least – winning Group L would seem advantageous in progressing deep into the tournament. They would be paired with one of the third-placed finishers in the round of 32, teams who are likely to have picked up only three or four points during the group stage.
The real reason why England must top their World Cup group
England vs Croatia: Head-to-head
17:06 , Luke BakerEngland and Croatia have met once in the World Cup before, and we all know how that went... On that occasion, it was Croatia who came out on top, knocking the Three Lions out of the 2018 tournament at the semi-final stage.
The last three meetings between the two sides have also been cagey affairs, with nothing more than a single goal separating them.
After playing out a goalless draw in October 2018 in the Nations League, England won the return match 2-1 a month later when goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane saw England come from a goal down at Wembley to secure the win.
The last meeting was in June 2021 at the Euros when Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half as both sides went on to qualify from Group D.
Head-to-head record:
- England wins: 6
- Croatia wins: 3
- Draws: 2
England v Croatia: Predict the score
16:55 , Luke BakerHow will England get on tonight in their crucial World Cup opener? You can have your say below
Saka's fitness 'gamble'
16:46 , Luke BakerBukayo Saka will continue to “take the gamble” on his fitness to be involved in England’s World Cup campaign.
The Arsenal winger has been managing an Achilles injury that dogged the end of his domestic campaign, playing through the pain barrier, and Thomas Tuchel said during the pre-tournament camp in Florida that he does not think he can yet play 90 minutes.
“As players, it’s the biggest gamble, especially if you’re not feeling your sharpest,” he said. “You have the choice whether you don’t play or you put yourself out there knowing people are going to judge you the same.
“At the end of the day, people don’t really care how you’re feeling, they expect you to deliver, they expect you to perform. I’m happy to take the gamble. It paid off, I’d say. I’m going to continue doing that.
“But I am feeling a lot better than I did in March, and I’m ready to go. I don’t want to say anything that goes against the manager, but between Mikel and Arsenal’s medical team and England’s medical team, since March, they have managed me amazingly and helped me get back on the pitch and do what I can for the team.
“I am feeling better than I have felt for the last few months. I am ready to go.”
Will Saka start this evening?
WATCH: England fans take over Dallas pub ahead of World Cup opener
16:37 , Luke BakerEngland fans have been making themselves known in Dallas...
How the World Cup’s great survivor Luka Modric and Croatia could torment England again
16:29 , Luke BakerLuka Modric tends to swap shirts with an opponent after every international. It means he must need a very large wardrobe or plenty of frames. He will soon have a double century of shirts.
There was, Modric said in his autobiography, only one Croatia game where he was determined not to trade the checkered kit with a member of the opposition team: against France, in 2018.
Croatia lost, but even getting there was an extraordinary achievement. Their population remains below four million, less than 0.05 per cent of the world’s. But Modric took them to the 2018 World Cup final. He won the World Cup’s Golden Ball and then the Ballon d’Or, to follow his third consecutive Champions League with Real Madrid.
Richard Jolly writes about Croatia’s ageless wonder:
How the World Cup’s great survivor Modric and Croatia could torment England again
'Focus on what we can influence'
16:20 , Miguel Delaney in DallasIn the final hours before England’s opening World Cup match, Thomas Tuchel hasn’t felt the need for any extra rousing speech about what the competition is. The manager senses the right mood among the squad as it is.
“They know,” Tuchel says. “We all know, and I think you have to grow into a tournament. At the moment, I don’t feel that any emotional fuel is needed to make everyone clear what is happening. But at the moment I see it even as an advantage that we’re focused on what we can actually influence. We don’t put it in the bigger picture - just put it where it is. We know,” he repeated.
Some of the players certainly know the challenge of Croatia. They’re all well aware of Luka Modric’s quality, of course, especially since he’s been central to three of four meetings between the sides since 2018.
How England plot to avenge years of heartbreak by Croatia in crucial World Cup opener
Predicted XIs
16:10 , Alan SmithEngland XI: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
Croatia XI: Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, Kovacic, Perisic; Sucic, Baturina; Musa
Early team news
16:00 , Alan SmithBukayo Saka is touch and go to prove his fitness to start, with Noni Madueke ready to deputise on the right. Trevoh Chalobah will not be involved after replacing the injured Tino Livramento but will be available for their next outing. All other squad members are fit - will Tuchel pick Bellingham or Morgan Rodgers in the No 10 and who out of Guehi, Stones and Konsa starts at centre back?
As it stands, Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has a full bill of health, with all 26 players available for their opening game, including Manchester City duo Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, who have endured injury-impacted seasons.
Tuchel calls for bravery
15:55 , Miguel Delaney in DallasThomas Tuchel has promised that England will be “brave” in this World Cup, and that a big “occasion” like that against Croatia “will bring out the best in us”.
England finally open their tournament in Dallas’ AT&T Stadium on Wednesday, although the German insisted that it is not yet big enough for him to sing the national anthem.
He did instead discuss how much he sees the country as “home”, as he aims to bring back a first trophy in 60 years.
Tuchel believes the key to that will be an adventurous approach that the squad are already used to.
He said: “I think we should play brave and play to the strengths of the players. I feel clearly that the players want it and that it helps us, and that they are successful in club football like this, they compete in the strongest league, most of them, the others who are not in the league compete in the highest level in Europe and Champions League and they play in brave and active teams and that's what we try because it makes them comfortable.”
Tuchel says World Cup game against Croatia will ‘bring out best’ in ‘brave’ England
How to watch tonight's match
15:44 , Alan SmithViewers in the UK can watch the match free-to-air on ITV 1, ITV X, STV and STV Player with coverage starting at 8pm BST. It can also be live streamed on ITVX.
