In Match 22 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, England will take on Croatia in the Dallas Stadium in the first match of Group L. Thomas Tuchel has made some serious changes in the squad by dropping some of their key players but the fans will have their belief in the German’s system. England will be chasing their World Cup dreams once more and they will be hoping that the title will truly come home this time out. Croatia have been one of the dominant sides in the World Cup for the last two editions of the tournament as they ended up as the runners-up in 2018 and they finished 3rd in 2022 as well. It will be an important clash for both the sides and this will be an intense battle between the two sides.

Match Overview

Match Detail

Information

Tournament

FIFA World Cup 2026

Match Number

Match 22 (Group L)

Teams

England vs Croatia

Date & Time

Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 1:30

Venue

Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium), Arlington, Texas

Where to Watch

ZEE5, Unite8 Sports (India)

England vs Croatia Squads and Key Players

England

Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah, Dan Burn, Reece James, Djed Spence, Jarell Quansah, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney

Key Players: Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden

Croatia

Dominik Livakovic, Ivor Pandur, Dominik Kotarski, Josip Stanisic, Marin Pongracic, Josko Gvardiol, Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Martin Erlic, Nikola Moro, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modric, Nikola Vlasic, Mario Pasalic, Martin Baturina, Petar Sucic, Kristijan Jakic, Toni Fruk, Luka Sucic, Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir, Ivan Perisic, Igor Matanovic, Marco Pasalic, Petar Musa

Key Players: Luka Modrić, Joško Gvardiol, Mateo Kovačić

England vs Croatia Head-to-Head Record

Category

Details

World Cup Meetings

1 (Croatia won 2–1 against England in 2018 FIFA World Cup Semifinals)

Total Previous Meetings

11

Last Major Tournament Meeting

UEFA EURO 2020 Group Stage (2021)

Result

England 1–0 Croatia

Last Match Goalscorer

Raheem Sterling (1)

England vs Croatia Match Weather Forecast

As the game is hosted in the Dallas stadium which boasts a retractable roof,the weather conditions could possibly have lesser effect. It will be a controlled environment that the players will be playing in and it will be perfect for the players.

Hour

Sky Condition

Temperature

Chance of Rain

3 PM

Mostly Sunny (Indoors)

32°C

0%

4 PM

Sunny (Indoors)

32°C

0%

5 PM

Sunny (Indoors)

32°C

0%

England vs Croatia Probable Playing XI

England

Jordan Pickford, Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane

Croatia

Dominik Livakovic, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Stanisic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, Petar Sucic, Martin Baturina, Petar Musa

Match Prediction

England will be reliant on midfield brilliance with Jude Bellingham in full control of the attacking lines and Declan Rice will be exercising his defensive duties. They will undoubtedly go into the match with a fairly balanced unit and the new defensive pairing of Stones and Guehi could be a fine as well. Croatia on the other hand, Luka Modric will be hopeful of making the best out of his experience and help his side reach the finals once again. Ivan Perisic will be another man that will be shouldering the responsibility in the front. There could be a higher chance of a draw between both the sides but Croatia could slightly edge England in a fierce battle between the two nations.