England start their latest bid to win the World Cup for the first time since 1966 as they face Croatia in their Group L opener.
Thomas Tuchel’s side face a familiar foe in Arlington, Texas, having lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals before beating them en route to reaching the Euro 2020 final.
England have reached at least the quarter-final of each of their last four major tournaments since a last-16 exit at Euro 2016, with Tuchel looking to be the man to end their long wait for a title after the agony of another runners-up finish at Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate.
Unlike England, Croatia are not expected to contend for the title, with this tournament likely to be the last hurrah on the major international stage for captain Luka Modric and vice captain Ivan Perisic.
Still, Croatia represent dangerous opening opponents for England, and 101GreatGoals has the full team news from what should be a fascinating encounter.
England team news
Bukayo Saka is not considered fit enough to start games due to an Achilles injury, so his Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke starts on the right wing.
Jude Bellingham is preferred over Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role. John Stones gets the nod over Marc Guehi at the centre-back spot next to Ezri Konsa.
England: Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
England substitutes: Henderson, Trafford, Guehi, Burn, Spence, Quansah, Henderson, Mainoo, Rogers, Eze, Saka, Rashford, Watkins, Toney.
Croatia team news
Luka Modric wins his 199th cap for Croatia at the age of 40.
FC Dallas striker Petar Musa starts up front at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Croatia: Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, P. Sucic, Perisic; Pasalic, Baturina; Musa.
Croatia substitutes: Pandur, Kotarski, Pongracic, Caleta-Car, Jakic, Erlic, Moro, Kovacic, Vlasic, Fruk, L. Susic, Kramaric, Budimir, Matanovic, Pasalic.
Where to watch England v Croatia: TV and online streams
England versus Croatia kicks off tomorrow night at 9pm UK time. You can watch it on ITV1 and stream via ITVX.
Click HERE for a full World Cup TV guide
Stats for England v Croatia
- This is Croatia’s seventh World Cup appearance. In their previous six participations, they were either eliminated in the group stage (three times) or reached the semi-finals (three times), including a run to the final in 2018.
- Croatia and France are the only teams to have reached the semi-finals in each of the last two World Cup editions.
- Croatia have won all four of their World Cup penalty shootouts; the joint-best record in the competition’s history along with Germany.
- Luka Modrić has completed more line-breaking passes across the last three World Cup tournaments than any other player – the Croatian captain has broken the opposition’s lines 199 times in 17 matches.
- England will be making their 17th World Cup appearance – it also marks their eighth consecutive participation, the longest uninterrupted run in their history.
- Since winning their only World Cup in 1966, England have progressed past the quarter-finals on only two occasions: 1990 (4th place) and 2018 (4th place).
- England kept nine clean sheets in their 10 matches in 2025, including a shutout in each of their eight UEFA World Cup qualifiers, making them the only team not to concede in the UEFA qualifiers; England’s 2.1 xG against was also the best expected goals against total of all European teams.
- England have both won and kept a clean sheet in each of their last 10 competitive matches, becoming the second European nation to do so after Spain between October 2014 and June 2016.
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