England opened their World Cup 2026 campaign with a thrilling 4–2 victory over Croatia in their Group Stage Matchday 1 fixture on Wednesday, 17 June 2026. The match, which kicked off at 20:00 UTC and was refereed by France's Clement Turpin, ended 2–2 at half-time. Harry Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, but Martin Baturina equalised for Croatia in the 36th minute with an assist from Petar Sucic. Kane restored Eng...

World Cup Group Stage action begins on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, as England and Croatia meet on Matchday 1 of the competition. This is the opening fixture for both nations in a group where every point matters for progression to the knockout rounds. Neither team faces elimination here — the loser will have two further group matches to recover. England and Croatia share a notable tournament history, having met in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and the 2020 European Championship group...