England vs Croatia: 2026 World Cup Opener Preview

The wait is over. England finally step into the 2026 World Cup, and the past walks out with them.

Thomas Tuchel’s side open their Group L campaign in Dallas against Croatia, the nation that shattered English dreams in that World Cup semi-final eight years ago. Different stadium, different coach, different generation – but the echo of that night still lingers around this fixture.

Tuchel’s England ready, almost at full strength

Tuchel arrives with options. Twenty-five of his 26-man squad are available, a luxury most coaches at this tournament would gladly take. The only absentee is late injury replacement Trevoh Chalobah, who has not yet been cleared to feature.

At the sharp end of the pitch, there is no debate. Harry Kane will lead the line, as he has done so often, carrying both the armband and the burden of expectation into a tournament where the biggest names have already stamped their authority. This stage belongs to strikers who seize it early; Kane knows that as well as anyone.

Around him, though, the picture is less straightforward.

Saka question hangs over the opener

The major call for Tuchel comes on the right flank. Bukayo Saka, one of England’s most reliable sources of incision and control in the final third, is managing an injury and cannot simply be thrown into the fire without thought.

England’s medical and coaching staff have been walking a tightrope with the Arsenal star: push too hard, and the risk spikes; hold him back, and you dull one of your most dangerous weapons. Whether Saka is fit enough to start, or instead held in reserve as a game-changing option from the bench, could shape the entire rhythm of England’s attack in Dallas.

Tuchel must decide how much he is willing to gamble on day one.

Croatia changed, Modric unchanged

On the other side, the names have shifted, the aura has dimmed a little, and Croatia no longer arrive with the same weight they carried in Russia. That side, the one that broke England’s resistance in extra time on the way to the final, has largely dispersed.

Yet one figure remains, still orbiting the centre of their universe: Luka Modric.

At an age when most midfielders are watching tournaments from the sofa, Modric is still dictating them. He remains the heartbeat of a Croatian team that may not be as deep or as feared as the 2018 version, but still carries enough technical quality and tournament know-how to trouble anyone in this group.

Group L stakes from the first whistle

This is not just about old scars. Group L, which also includes Ghana and Panama, offers little room for early missteps. England are expected to control it. Croatia believe they can disrupt that order.

The opener in Dallas will not decide the group, but it will set the tone. For Tuchel, for Kane, for Saka’s fitness, and for Modric’s latest tilt at the biggest prize of all, the campaign starts here – with the weight of history on one side, and the pull of opportunity on the other.