Official lineups
England : Pickford - James, Stones, Konsa, O'Reilly - Anderson, Rice - Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon - Kane
Croatia : Livakovic - Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Sutalo - Stanisic, Modric, Sucic, Perisic - Baturina, Musa, Pasalic
And that's all
Thank you for following England - Croatia with us. Find the full match recap below:
6 minutes of added time
Rashford seals it!
Bukayo Saka lays the ball off to Marcus Rashford, who finishes with clinical precision from close range into the bottom right corner!
Sucic wastes the chance
Luka Sucic attempts to volley a rebound from Pickford but his effort sails wide. A chance goes begging for Croatia
England refresh their attack
Rogers replaces Rice in midfield while Saka comes on for Madueke on the wing. Tuchel wants to maintain the pressure
Croatia keep reshuffling
Matanović replaces Musa and Pasalic comes on for Vuskovic. Croatia desperately seeking fresh legs as they trail
Cooling break
Turpin's call
Sucic's effort appears to go out but Turpin awards a goal kick instead of a corner. Croatia's opportunity denied
Change for Croatia
Mateo Kovacic replaces Luka Modric in the 58th minute
- First chance for Croatia
- PENALTY!
- King Harryyyyy Kaneeeeee
- Bellingham saves the day
- GOAAAAAAAAAAAL
- King Harry doubles!!!
- What a match!!!
- GOAL! Bellingham!
- Goooooooooooooooooal
Livakovic keeps Croatia alive
Kane tests the Croatian goalkeeper twice in quick succession, but Livakovic stands tall with two crucial saves. The Vatreni are under the cosh but their custodian refuses to let England put the game beyond reach.
GOAL! Bellingham!
What a goal from Jude Bellingham! The England midfielder weaves through the Croatian defence before striking brilliantly past Livakovic off the post
It's half-time
What a match!!!
Perisic's header at the near post is converted by Musa at the back post. The Croats refuse to quit!
5 minutes of added time
King Harry doubles!!!
Harry Kane heads home from a Rice corner! He powers a header past Livakovic to restore England's lead!
GOAAAAAAAAAAAL
What a finish from Martin Baturina!
James's cross blocked
Reece James attempts to find a teammate with a cross from the right but a Croatian defender intercepts and clears the danger
Always well-placed without ever claiming a second title in its history, modern England launches its World Cup 2026 against Croatia. Vice-champions of Europe begin with the toughest side of Group L, a clash against the team of 40-year-old veteran in Arlington, Texas, before facing the less-favoured Ghana and Panama.
Thomas Tuchel's selection choices have already sparked controversy ahead of the tournament, with debate over team composition and squad depth continuing to dominate headlines, but England arrive as one of the tournament's genuine contenders, boasting a golden generation of attacking talent.
Croatia, meanwhile, continue to punch above their weight on the world stage, defying expectations for a nation of their size with a remarkable run to the 2018 World Cup final.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters and AP)
