Where to Watch England vs Croatia World Cup 2026 – An exciting match will take place in the opening Group L fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup when England face Croatia.

This clash between two strong European teams is expected to be fiercely contested, as both sides have major ambitions to begin the tournament with a victory.

The match is scheduled to take place at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 3:00 PM local time, or Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 03:00 WIB.

The Three Lions' first opponent in North America is also a team that, in several recent major tournaments, has often come close to glory while still managing to reach the podium against many expectations.

For those who do not want to miss the excitement of this match, let's take a look at Mansion Sports' recommendations for where to watch England vs Croatia World Cup 2026 below!

Team News Ahead of the Match

England

England's last World Cup title was won in 1966. The U-17 and U-20 teams conquered the world in the summer of 2017, but only success at senior level can end a painful 60-year wait.

If the World Cup trophy were awarded solely based on qualifying performances, England might already be planning a victory parade.

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

However, cracks began to appear in Thomas Tuchel's plans when England failed to defeat Uruguay and Japan in March friendlies.

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

Furthermore, Harry Kane having to rescue the team against New Zealand did little to boost public confidence.

Nevertheless, a stronger first-choice lineup comfortably defeated Costa Rica in England's final warm-up match.

The Three Lions have also lost only one of 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 World Cup opening matches against Tunisia and Iran. However, World Cup history has not always been kind to the team in white.

Regarding England's squad condition, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has eased concerns about his fitness, but Tuchel is still expected to be cautious with the 24-year-old this week.

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

Anthony Gordon, who will join Barcelona, is also expected to feature in place of former Blaugrana player Marcus Rashford.

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

However, it remains unclear whether Ezri Konsa, John Stones, or Marc Guehi will partner Jordan Pickford in defence.

England also received bad news on Tuesday after Tino Livramento suffered an injury and had to withdraw from the squad, with Trevoh Chalobah called up as his replacement. Even so, Reece James had already been expected to start at right-back.

Croatia

Although Croatia are not among the leading favourites to win the World Cup, their reputation in major tournaments speaks for itself.

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

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

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

Croatia's golden generation may be ageing, but they nearly matched England's perfection during qualification. Croatia dropped only two points from eight matches and comfortably topped Group L.

Dalic's men were also not flawless throughout their pre-tournament friendlies. Defeats against Brazil and Belgium came before they secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Slovenia thanks to Mario Pasalic's 90th-minute goal.

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 while eliminating England.

Meanwhile, Croatia arrive in Arlington with a fully fit squad.

This includes Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, who combined for 26 goals and assists with PSV Eindhoven last season.

Hoffenheim legend Andrej Kramaric recorded only three fewer goal contributions 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 earn the starting striker role.

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

Where to Watch England vs Croatia World Cup 2026

For those who want to watch this match and are looking for where to watch England vs Croatia World Cup 2026, you can follow the game through the following official streaming platforms available in your region:

• TVRI
• Fola Play
• RTM
• Unifi TV
• Mediacorp
• JTBC
• KBS
• NAVER Sports/CHZZK
• MONOMAX Sports
• VTV

The match between England and Croatia is predicted to be one of the most exciting fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage.

With the quality of players available to both teams and the emotional history between them, this encounter is certainly one that football fans around the world should look forward to.

Make sure you already know where to watch England vs Croatia World Cup 2026 so that you do not miss any important moments from this prestigious match.