England v Croatia prediction, lineups & tips: World Cup 2026 Group L opener

Eight years after Mario Mandzukic broke English hearts in extra time in Moscow, England and Croatia are drawn together again at a FIFA World Cup, this time in the rather more air-conditioned surroundings of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. For Thomas Tuchel's side, Group L of the 2026 World Cup begins here, and the draw has handed them arguably their stiffest test first. Croatia finished third in Qatar in 2022 and reached the final four years before that. They do not travel to tournaments to make up the numbers.

England went through European qualifying with eight wins from eight and a goal difference of 22-0, a record that underlines both the depth and the defensive organisation of this squad. Tuchel has spoken repeatedly about removing the anxiety that plagued Gareth Southgate's sides. "We play with the hunger and the joy to win, not with the fear to lose," the head coach told Sky Sports ahead of the tournament. The preparation has been far from smooth, England's kit was stolen during transit from Florida to their Kansas City base and a tornado warning disrupted their final camp days, but Tuchel insists the squad is settled and ready.

Croatia, meanwhile, come to Texas with a squad that is ageing but still stubborn. Zlatko Dalic's side will rely heavily on Luka Modric, who is 40 years old and, remarkably, still dictating tempo week-in, week-out at AC Milan. Around him, Dallas FC striker Petar Musa, 12 goals in 13 MLS games in 2026, may be preferred to Andrej Kramaric up front. Tottenham target Luka Vuskovic is expected to feature in a back three alongside Josko Gvardiol, still the most expensive defender ever purchased. Croatia are past their peak generation, but they have defied that label at every tournament for a decade.

England's European qualifying form was faultless: eight wins from eight, 22 goals scored, none conceded. Tuchel confirmed that Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze were given extra recovery time after Arsenal's Champions League final involvement, but all four are expected to be fully available here. Croatia's main fitness worry is Modric himself, listed as a minor doubt with a cheek injury ahead of Wednesday, though reports suggest he will be fit to start. England have lost six of their last eight World Cup games against European opponents, exiting at the semi-final stage to Croatia in 2018 and to France in 2022, a statistic Tuchel will be acutely aware of.

After the draw was made, Tuchel was measured but clear about the challenge Croatia represent. "Difficult group, difficult opener. Difficult group with Croatia and Ghana, two regulars in World Cups and two proud and strong nations," the Germany-born head coach said. "For me, I'm only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult like our group now but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive." Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic had not made significant pre-match comments available in English at time of writing.

England v Croatia kicks off at 21:00 BST on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. The match is live on ITV1 in the UK, with coverage beginning at 20:00 BST. Viewers in Scotland can watch on STV. Both ITV1 and STV are free-to-air. The match is available to stream on ITVX and the STV Player, both free to use with a simple sign-up. In the United States, coverage is on Fox Sports; in Australia on SBS.