England vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Live Score: Harry Kane's England take on Luka Modric's Croatia.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Today highlights: A brace from Harry Kane, besides strikes from Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford helped England beat Croatia 4-2 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener at the Dallas Stadium. Both team had gone into half-time with a 2-2 scoreline with England captain Kane scoring twice but goals from Petar Musa and Martin Baturina helping Croatia claw level twice in the first half.
But just two minutes into the second half, Jude Bellingham restored England’s lead with a superb strike. And then, in the dying minutes of the game, Rashford put the finishing touches to the game with a goal himself.
How the six goals were scored: Kane scored his and England’s first goal in the 12th minute from the penalty spot after getting two bites at it. Kane had seen his first penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic, but VAR ruled that the Croatia keeper had stepped off his line early, so a retake of the penalty was ordered. This time, Kane made no error! Then, Croatia scored a wonder goal in the 36th minute from Martin Baturina, when he put his foot through the ball to send it past a diving Pickford into goal. England’s one-goal lead was restored once again by England captain Kane when he headed the ball in just minutes before half-time. But Petar Musa scored with the final kick of the first half to ensure that both teams went to the dug out with a 2-2 scoreline. At the restart, it took just two minutes for Bellingham to go on a haring down down the right flank before shooting the ball past the keeper for England’s third goal!
The final goal came after Rashford was fed the ball from the right flank by Saka with a diagonal cross. Rashford composed himself before shooting the ball past the keeper into the goal.
The game had promised to be a mouth-watering clash between two European heavyweights and it did not disappoint. Croatia finished third at Qatar 2022 and were beaten finalists in Russia 2018. England, meanwhile, are perennially discussed as a pre-tournament favourite, at least by their own fans and media.
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So England start with a 4-2 victory and just like other top strikers like Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, harry Hanne is off to a start with at least two goals in his first game at the 2026 World Cup.
Rashford scores after being fed the ball by Saka! The England players were running on the right flank, when a tackle interrupts the run. the ball falls kindly for Saka, who immediately feeds Rashford with a diagonal cross. Rashford switches his feet and scores to give a 4-2 lead for England.
What an immense couple of saves from Pickford! First, Pasalic bears down the left and cuts inside to try and curl one into the far corner. The England keeper saves!
Minutes later, Matanovic has another shot on goal. Again it's Pickford who claims in.
England lead 3-2
So we emerge from the hydration break and England make three changes.
Saka, Rashford and Rogers on.
Rice, Gordon and Madueke off.
SO we have the second hydration break of the game, and immediately after, we have three changes from England!
Saka, Rashford and Rogers on.
Rice, Gordon and Madueke off.
At least four chances for England in the span of three minutes. And in each instance, it's the keeper Dominik Livakovic who's pulled off good saves. First he pulls off a double save. Then consistently gets in the way of goal-ward bound shots.
You could have said Livakovic is having a good game if it was not for the fact that he has conceded three goals already, including an error on the first penalty where he gave away a retake. but he did also save Harry Kane's initial penalty at the start.
Very mixed game from him.
Jude Bellingham scores to give England a 3-2 lead. It's a year and a half since he last scored for England! Took him just two minutes after the half-time restart to score today!
The goal comes after Bellingham collected the ball from the middle of the pitch on the right flank and went on a haring run. While Noni Madeuke drew away two defenders with his run, Bellingham beat the defender who was covering him and the onrushing keeper to score.
The Croatia players are all out in the middle in their positions on the pitch. But no sign of England players yet. Their team talk's gone on for much longer than needed maybe.
Finally the English players, led by a pensive-looking Harry Kane, makes an appearance.
here we go!
Croatia claw level for the second time in the game as Musa scores with the final kick before half-time! Was Perisic marginally offside when he fed Musa for the goal? The VAR will check in the break and we might come back to the goal being chalked off for offside. But for now, it's on the board. Call it Schrödinger’s Goal.
What a fightback from Croatia. Each time England took the lead in that half thanks to Harry Kane, Croatia fought back and levelled.
The goal came after the ball was lobbed into the box. Perisic got under it and nodded the ball down for Musa. Musa's shot slips past Pickford at close range.
Harry Kane heads England into 2-1 lead just before half-time! Harry Kane, the best header of the ball among the 22 men on the pitch, comes flying in and heads the ball past the thicket of defenders into the goal as England take 2-1 lead just minutes before the half-time whistle.
Croatia score a wonder goal to equal at 1-1 in the 36th minute!
Just wow! History will note that the goal was scored by Martin Baturina, who put his foot through the ball to send it past a diving Pickford into goal. But don't miss out on the run into the England box from Sucic, who cuts back the ball sending a couple of England defenders flying into tackles in the wrong direction, before he laid off the ball for Martin Baturina to shoot!
What a cross from the right flank from Noni Madueke after some crisp one-touch passing from England. Jude Bellingham almost gets a foot in too to score! But he's just half a second slow to get to the ball.
Arsenal winger Madueke has been the pick of the England players on the pitch tonight. He was the one who earned the penalty for Harry Kane to bury on his second try. And it was Madueke who nicked the ball off the Croat defenders more than once.
After 33 minutes, England lead 1-0
We're back in the game after the advertisement, sorry, hydration break. Croatia are still reeling from that penalty. And England have started to dominate possession after the goal.
After 25 minutes, England lead 1-0
England lead 1-0 against Croatia after Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot. He scuffed his first attempt, which Dominik Livakovic saved, but VAR ruled that the keeper had stepped off his line. So he got a retake and scores this time with a cleaner attempt! Dominik Livakovic gets really unlucky there!
Here's how the penalty was earned by England:
From the corner kick, Croatia were trying to scramble the ball clear when Modric sees the ball falling down at the edge of the box. Without looking over his shoulder, he tries to clear it. But Makueke comes from behind and Modric kicks the England winger instead. Easy decision for the ref.
An insane stat from Sky Sports:
England captain Kane has now scored his last eight penalties after missing a spot kick against France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
A very slow pace on the first seven minutes of this game. Harry Kane gets his first sight of the ball, after the ball richochets in the air and falls kindly for him in the box. He sends it wide and we have a corner.
Barely three minutes in the game and Croatia have their first chance. It comes from Stones getting his pass wrong from the heard of the defence and then giving away a cheap corner. Perisic takes it and sends the ball long. But Sutalo retrieves it on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box.
His shot is off target!
After three minutes, England 0-0 Croatia
Croatia playing in splendid blue jerseys with the chequered patters on both sides. England rocking their white kits. We have kickoff at Dallas!
So it's been a mixed couple of days for the tournament's top forwards. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick early in the morning for Argentina. Kylian Mbappe (France) and Erling Haaland (Norway) too scored braces for their nations. But Ronaldo, in the just-concluded game against Congo, was lacklustre, and could not get off the mark!
What will Harry Kane, who's had one of the best seasons in club football with Bayern Munich, do against Croatia?
Here we go! Players waiting at the tunnel for the game to start. We'll have national anthems soon. The giant flags of both nations that cover almost the whole half are out in the middle. We'll have a football game soon.
And here's how England are set up for the Croatia test: A 4-2-3-1 formation for Thomas Tuchel with Anderson and Rice at the base of the midfield, just in front of the defneders.
(Goalkeeper) Pickford
(Defenders) James, Konsa, Stones, O'Reilly
(Midfielders) Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon
(Striker) Kane
Here's a look at how Croatia are set up
(Goalkeeper) Livaković
(Defenders) Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Sutalo,
(Midfielders) Perisic, Sucic, Modric, Stanisic, Baturina, Pasalic,
(Striker) Musa
A 3-4-2-1 position for the side that was third at Qatar 2022 and was beaten finalists in Russia 2018.
Here are both XIs
England XI: Pickford; James, Stones, Konsa, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
So we have Noni Madueke starting, while Bukayo Saka, currently battling ankle issues, is on the bench. Bellingham also has been preferred in the No 10 position.
Croatia XI: Livaković, Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Sutalo, Perisic, Sucic, Modric, Stanisic, Baturina, Pasalic, Musa
England will be a facsilime of Arsenal? A report in BBC states that England manager Thomas Tuchel is looking to replicate Arsenal's strengths with set-piece routines that took the Gunners to the Premier League title and the Champions League final.
This explains why there are more Arsenal players in England's World Cup squad than from any other clubs.
At their pre-tournament press conference, Tuchel said: "We have specialists with us for all different scenarios. We always said we want to be a strong set-piece team so we have specialists for that."
The man at the helm of England football team at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Thomas Tuchel is making his debut as a World Cup coach today.
He's helmed some of the biggest teams in club football previously, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Paris St-Germain.
"It's the biggest stage, the biggest tournament in the world… I'm grateful to have the possibility to coach in the World Cup," said Tuchel. "It's never a one-man show — it's always a team effort. We dream. I think we have the right to dream, but we don't want to be delusional. It comes with responsibility."
England and Croatia have faced off against each other just one in the FIFA World Cup. That was at Russia 2018. It was a World Cup semi-final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. England were handed a dream start thanks to Kieran Trippier's free-kick after five minutes in the game. But the veteran Ivan Perisic scored an equaliser before Mario Mandzukic broke england hearts in extra-time
Before his side took the field for England's first game at the FIFA World Cup, their coach Thomas Tuchel was speaking about the experience of managing the team at a World Cup.
"It's the biggest stage, the biggest tournament in the world… I'm grateful to have the possibility to coach in the World Cup. It's never a one-man show — it's always a team effort. We dream. I think we have the right to dream, but we don't want to be delusional. It comes with responsibility."
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has said that he's "ready to go" for England when their open their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Croatia on Wednesday.
Saka is still not fully recovered from an Achilles injury which he picked up in March.
England manager Thomas Tuchel has already said that it is "very unlikely" that the 24-year-old Saka would "start and finish" all the World Cup matches for England as they try and manage his injury just as Arsenal had to on their way to winning the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final.
"I don't want to say anything that goes against the manager," Saka said before England's first match. "What I would say is that between Mikel [Arteta] and the Arsenal medical team and Thomas [Tuchel] and the England medical team, since March they have managed me amazingly and helped me get back on the pitch and do what I can for the team. I'm feeling better than I have felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go."
Saka's 50th appearance for England might come agaonst Croatia.
Possible England starting XI: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Rice, Anderson, Bellingham; Saka, Kane, Gordon
Possible Croatia starting XI: Livakovic; Stanisic, Caleta-Car, Sutalo, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic; Budimir
According to English media, there is plenty of conversation whether to pick Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers as the No 10. But with how he played in the warm up game, and how he has been in training sessions in the USA, Sky Sports believes that Bellingham has the best chance of making the cut.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the FIFA World Cup game between England and Croatia.
