Read our prediction for England vs Croatia below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions.
England vs Croatia Prediction & Betting tips
England and Croatia begin their 2026 World Cup campaign with a highly contested match in Group L. The match will take place on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Texas. This match marks Thomas Tuchel’s official debut as England manager in a major tournament, while Croatia once again relies on the genius of eternal captain Luka Modrić (40), who is on his last world tour of his career. England suffered a blow just before the tournament, with defender Tino Livramento withdrawn from the squad with a thigh injury; he was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah. Bukayo Saka also has minor Achilles tendon issues but is expected to play. In the Croatia camp, Dalić relies on a solid mix between veterans like Perišić and youngsters like Joško Gvardiol. Historic encounters at final tournaments offer an intense rivalry: Croatia eliminated England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup (2-1 after extra time), but the English made amends at Euro 2020 with a 1-0 victory in the group stage.
England:
The Three Lions dominated the qualifiers, becoming the only team in the UEFA region to qualify without conceding a goal (8 wins from 8 matches). They trained in Florida and recently defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in a friendly, going into the tournament as heavy favorites.
Probable England team (4-2-3-1): Pickford – Reece James, Stones, Marc Guéhi, Dan Burn – Declan Rice, Mainoo – Saka, Bellingham (or Morgan Rogers), Rashford – Harry Kane.
Croatia:
The national team led by Zlatko Dalić also won the qualifying group, notching 7 wins and 1 draw. However, the Croatian defense has shown weaknesses recently, conceding 10 goals in the last 6 matches, including a 2-0 defeat against Belgium in the last pre-tournament test.
Probable Croatia team (4-3-3): Livaković – Stanišić, Ćaleta-Car, Šutalo, Gvardiol – Modrić, Kovačić, L. Sučić – Pašalić, Budimir, Perišić.
England vs Croatia head to head matches
13.06.21 EUR England vs Croatia 1:0
18.11.18 UNL England vs Croatia 2:1
12.10.18 UNL Croatia vs England 0:0
11.07.18 AET WC Croatia vs England 2:1
09.09.09 WC England vs Croatia 5:1
* Our advice is: England WIN
* Selection odd for this bet is: 1.75
* This analyis is from our perspective and we highly recommend to inform also yourself about all details that can be decisive in your choise to bet!
Source of photo: FIFA
