England begin their World Cup against the Croatia side that knocked them out in 2018
Eight years after Croatia ended their run in Moscow, England open their World Cup against the same opponent in Arlington, with Luka Modric chasing a fitting farewell at his fifth and final tournament.
Jun 13, 2026
England begin their World Cup on Wednesday against the one team they would probably rather have avoided in the group stage. Croatia knocked them out of the 2018 semi-final in Moscow, and eight years on the two meet again in Arlington to open Group L. For Indian viewers the game kicks off at 1:30am on Thursday, deep into the night, which feels about right for a fixture England have spent the best part of a decade wanting to put behind them.
England arrive as genuine contenders
There is a strong case that this is the best-placed England side since 1966. Thomas Tuchel took them through qualifying with a perfect record, eight wins from eight, 22 goals scored and none conceded against Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra. Harry Kane leads the line and captains the side at a World Cup for the third time, having just taken a third straight Bundesliga Golden Boot with 36 goals as Bayern Munich won the title.
Around Kane sits a core most countries would envy, with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka all in their prime. Tuchel has not been sentimental about getting there. His squad selection left out names that would walk into most international teams, a reminder that the German coach is picking for balance rather than reputation. He has also spent the build-up playing down the hype, pointing at Brazil, Argentina, France and Spain whenever the favourite tag comes up.
Croatia and one last dance for Modric
Croatia are not the force that reached the 2018 final and finished third in 2022, but writing them off has rarely ended well for anyone. Luka Modric is the reason. At 40, he is heading to a fifth World Cup, an age almost no outfield player reaches at this level, and he arrives off a strong first season at AC Milan. He sits on 198 caps and could bring up 200 during the group stage. This will almost certainly be his international farewell.
The worry for Croatia is what surrounds him. The generation that carried them to back-to-back deep runs is thinning out, and the midfield control that used to strangle bigger teams is harder to sustain over a tournament now. Modric recovered from a fractured cheekbone picked up in late April to be here, which tells you how much this last campaign means to him. England will need to make sure his farewell does not come at their expense.
A marker on the first night
Group L also contains Ghana and Panama, so an opening result against Croatia is not strictly must-win, but it sets the tone. England have a habit of starting tournaments slowly, and a fast start against the side that ended their last serious run would settle a lot of nerves back home. Croatia, for their part, will want to show that Modric still has the legs to run a big game and that the old habits have not entirely gone.
Beat Croatia and England look every bit the contender the bookmakers say they are. Stumble, and the questions that have followed this team for years start up again before the tournament has properly begun. Either way, the first night gives us a rematch worth staying up for.