A week out from its opening group game of the 2026 World Cup against Croatia, England takes on Costa Rica in a pre-tournament friendly on Wednesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions have made a concerted effort to acclimatize to the North American summer, and are expected to endure oppressive conditions in Orlando, with storms projected.
Their summer started with a slender victory over New Zealand thanks to Harry Kane’s header, with a wretched playing surface ensuring England was far from its best.
After tinkering with his roster in March, Tuchel has stumbled upon a harmonious group largely bereft of ego, although he wasn’t happy with the “freestyle” approach some of his players took in Saturday’s win.
Supporters will hope that Tuchel’s stellar coaching can take the team to the promised land, as it creeps towards the 60th anniversary of its only World Cup triumph to date.
Among the bleakest summers since Sir Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick sunk the Germany at Wembley in 1966 was in 2014, when Costa Rica upset the odds and topped a group also including Italy and Uruguay.
England was embarrassingly eliminated even before facing the Central Americans on Matchday 3. Costa Rica went on to reach the quarterfinals before losing to the Netherlands on penalties.
England vs. Costa Rica Score Prediction
Three Lions Enjoy Feel-Good Win
The first meeting between these two teams from 2014 was as drab a World Cup fixture as any English supporter has been subjected to. Ben Foster started between the posts during a goalless draw that was enough for the mightily unfavored Costa Rica to top the group.
England subsequently beat the Central Americans in 2018, meaning Wednesday‘s bout will be the third-ever clash. Thomas Tuchel will want his team to produce a statement performance, all the while adhering to his strict positional instructions, with the Croatia match just a week away.
Preparation for the tournament seems to be going much more smoothly compared to 2014, when England suffered mightily in Brazil. Tuchel’s “heatproof” system will be put to the test again on Wednesday against a team much more familiar with the local tropical climate.
- Harry Kane's form: There’s simply no stopping England’s leading marksman right now, and the player himself believes this is his best chance to win the World Cup. Kane enters the tournament off the back of winning the European Golden Shoe, and he continued from where he left off with Bayern Munich by scoring the game‘s only goal against New Zealand.
- Costa Rica’s form: Not only did the Central American side surprisingly fail to qualify for the upcoming tournament, but it is also yet to win in 2026. Costa Rica lost to Iran and Colombia after drawing 2–2 with World Cup debutant Jordan.
- Full-strength XI? With the start of England’s campaign just a week away, Thomas Tuchel may want to test-run the team he’s thinking about using against Croatia, or at least something close to it. While New Zealand benefited from England’s chopping and changing at the weekend, Costa Rica may not be so fortunate.
Prediction: England 3–0 Costa Rica
England Predicted Lineup vs. Costa Rica
Thomas Tuchel used two different starting lineups against New Zealand, making 11 changes at halftime. It’ll be interesting to see what approach the German takes on Wednesday. Will he start with the team that he expects to pick against Croatia?
Tuchel can now call upon the Arsenal contingent after they were handed extended breaks in the wake of their Champions League final defeat. Newly-named vice-captain Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka have huge roles to play this summer, while Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke should feature here.
Reece James and Nico O’Reilly are poised to start in the fullback positions, and the in-form Kane will almost certainly feature from the outset.
Tuchel will choose between Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in the No. 10 role, with Elliot Anderson set to partner Rice in midfield.
England predicted lineup vs. Costa Rica (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Guéhi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
Costa Rica Predicted Lineup vs. England
There were no notable injuries to report from Costa Rica’s 3–1 defeat to Colombia last week, although its roster this month doesn’t include former Arsenal winger Joel Campbell.
Campbell was last playing his club soccer in Brazil and has 150 caps for the national team, having made his debut as a teenager in 2011. He’s one of the very few currently active Costa Rica stars who was involved at the 2014 World Cup.
Legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas retired from international duty in 2024, with 27-year-old Patrick Sequeira emerging as their undisputed No. 1 since.
In the absence of Navas and Campbell, Spartak Moscow’s Manfred Ugalde is the most likely Costa Rican to trouble England on Wednesday.
What Time Does England vs. Costa Rica Kick Off?
- Location : Orlando, Florida, USA
- Stadium : Inter&Co Stadium
- Date : Wednesday, June 10
- Kick-off Time : 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. BST
How to Watch England vs. Costa Rica on TV, Live Stream
| Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ITV 1 UK, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player |
| United States | Fox Sports 2, fuboTV, Foxsports.com, ViX, FOX Sports App, FOX One |
| Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
