England and Costa Rica have only ever faced each other twice—once at the 2014 World Cup, when Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions were unable to win and sensationally crashed out at the group stage, and again in June 2018 when England won 2–0.
There are high hopes for Thomas Tuchel’s iteration of England heading to the 2026 World Cup. Regarded as one of the favorites for the tournament, the pressure is on the German to end 60 years of hurt—the last, and only, major tournament won was the 1966 World Cup on home soil.
Costa Rica, 51st in FIFA’s world rankings, have not qualified for this World Cup, and will instead have a watching brief after the conclusion of the game. It is without a win in its last three games, drawing with Honduras and Jordan before losing 3–1 to Colombia.
