England vs Croatia Predicted Lineups for the 2026 World Cup – An exciting match will take place in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as England face Croatia in the opening match of Group L.

This match represents an important opportunity for both teams to begin the tournament with a positive result while building momentum toward the next stage.

The match is scheduled to take place at Dallas Stadium on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 03:00 WIB, or Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 15:00 local time.

The Three Lions' first opponent in North America is also a team that has often been considered a dark horse in recent major tournaments, even managing to reach the podium despite not always being among the favorites.

Now, before the match begins, let us take a look at Mansion Sports' prediction for the England vs Croatia predicted lineups for the 2026 World Cup below!

Team News Ahead of the Match

England

England's last World Cup title was won in 1966. Although the U-17 and U-20 teams became world champions during the summer of 2017, only success at senior level can end the long 60-year wait filled with hope and disappointment.

If World Cup trophies were awarded based solely on qualifying performances, England might already be preparing a victory parade.

They became the first UEFA nation to secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup thanks to a perfect record of eight wins and eight clean sheets throughout the qualifying phase.

However, several doubts have begun to emerge in Thomas Tuchel's plans after England failed to defeat Uruguay and Japan in friendly matches in March.

They even suffered their first-ever defeat against an Asian team when facing Japan.

Harry Kane's rescue goal against New Zealand was also not enough to fully restore public confidence.

Nevertheless, a more complete starting lineup was able to defeat Costa Rica comfortably in their final warm-up match.

England have also lost only once in their last eight World Cup opening matches, a 2-1 defeat to Italy in 2014.

In contrast, the 1966 world champions recorded four wins and three draws during that run, including victories in their last two opening matches against Tunisia and Iran. However, World Cup history has not always favored the team in white.

Croatia

Although they are not among the leading favorites to become world champions, Croatia's reputation in major tournaments cannot be questioned.

They won medals at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as well as the 2022-23 Nations League.

However, Zlatko Dalic's side still have much to prove after a disappointing performance at Euro 2024.

They were eliminated in the group stage without recording a single victory, marking their worst performance at a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup.

Croatia's golden generation may be aging, but they came close to matching England's perfection during qualification.

Croatia dropped only two points from eight matches and comfortably finished at the top of Group L.

Even so, their road to the World Cup was not entirely smooth. Defeats to Brazil and Belgium in friendly matches came before they secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Slovenia thanks to Mario Pasalic's goal in the 90th minute.

On the other hand, a late goal also produced one of the most historic nights in Croatian football.

Mario Mandzukic's 109th-minute goal in the 2018 World Cup semi-final sent Croatia to the final and eliminated England.

England vs Croatia Predicted Lineups for the 2026 World Cup

England (4-2-3-1)

For England's squad condition, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is attempting to ease concerns regarding his fitness.

However, Thomas Tuchel is still likely to be cautious with the 24-year-old player in this match.

His Arsenal teammate, Noni Madueke, could start on the right side of England's attack.

Meanwhile, Anthony Gordon is expected to occupy the left flank and replace former Barcelona player Marcus Rashford.

Tuchel is also expected to prefer Jude Bellingham over Morgan Rogers for the number 10 role.

Meanwhile, it remains uncertain who will partner Jordan Pickford in defense, whether it will be Ezri Konsa, John Stones, or Marc Guehi.

England also received disappointing news on Tuesday after Tino Livramento suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the squad, being replaced by Trevoh Chalobah. Nevertheless, Reece James had already been predicted to start at right-back.

Croatia (3-4-2-1)

Meanwhile, for Croatia's squad condition, they arrive in Arlington at full strength.

Including Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, who recorded a combined total of 26 goals and assists with PSV Eindhoven last season.

Hoffenheim legend Andrej Kramaric was only three goal contributions short of that tally during the 2025-26 season.

However, local reports suggest that FC Dallas striker Petar Musa, who has scored 12 goals in 13 MLS matches during the 2026 season, could be given the opportunity to lead the attack.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Luka Vuskovic, who was reportedly the subject of a £30 million bid from Brighton & Hove Albion, is expected to feature in defense alongside Josko Gvardiol, who remains the most expensive defender of all time.

This match is predicted to be highly competitive because both teams possess excellent quality in every area of the pitch.

England arrive with the ambition of ending their long wait to become world champions once again, while Croatia aim to prove that they remain one of the major forces in international football.

With the quality of players available to both teams, the England vs Croatia Predicted Lineups for the 2026 World Cup will be an important factor that could determine the final outcome of this Group L opening match.