England and Croatia will face off against each other in thrilling Group L encounter at the Dallas Stadium on Wednesday, Yankee Scores reports.
History
There’s just something about England and Croatia that keeps bringing these two nations together.
They faced each other in the 2018 World Cup semifinal in Moscow – a game most England supporters would rather forget – and again at Euro 2020 in a group stage match England won.
Now they come face to face again on Wednesday in the Group L opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The #ThreeLions on our shirt 🦁 pic.twitter.com/iY0PqKvrKM
— England (@England) June 17, 2026
England
Thomas Tuchel’s side face perhaps their stiffest test of the group stage to begin with, with easier games against Ghana and Panama still to come.
If England win this one they can breathe. Lose it, and the pressure’s something else.
England didn’t have the best pre-tournament preparation, their last friendly before the tournament was delayed by a storm, their kit was stolen on the way from Florida to their base in Kansas City, and they huddled up as tornado warnings swept over the weekend.
And then the injury news hit, Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering a calf injury in training, with Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah called up as his replacement.
Harry Kane will lead the line for England, per ESPN, a captain who didn’t score in the group stage of the last World Cup but comes here off arguably the best club season of his career at Bayern Munich.
Croatia
Croatia, by contrast, are no longer the same team that reached back-to-back World Cup semifinals in 2018 and 2022.
They were dumped out at the group stages of Euro 2024 and come into this tournament off the back of a 2-0 defeat in their pre-tournament friendly against Belgium.
But this is still a side that has Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić — players who have been here before and know precisely what it takes.
Who Takes It?
England were one of just two UEFA sides to win every single qualifying game – eight out of eight – and the only side in their section not to concede a single goal throughout qualifying.
That’s a team with some real defensive structure under Tuchel.
But Croatia will not be intimidated. In six previous World Cup appearances they have finished in the top three three times.
England have to win. Croatia are convinced they can spring another upset. It’s going to be a fascinating watch.
