World Cup Hero
Predict the 2026 World Cup your way
England and Croatia share Group L at the 2026 World Cup and meet in the group stage. Both sides are fighting to reach the knockouts. On the FIFA ranking, England are the favourite — a 6-place gap.
England - Croatia will be played on Wednesday 17th June 2026 at 16:00 ET in MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford (New York/New Jersey). ✓ Officially confirmed.
| England 🏴 | Metric | 🇭🇷 Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | FIFA Ranking | #10 |
| Group L | Group | Group L |
| UEFA | Confederation | UEFA |
| Thomas Tuchel | Head coach | Zlatko Dalić |
| 17 | WC appearances | 6 |
| World champion (1966) | Best WC | Runner-up (2018) |
England have reached at least the semi-final of every major tournament since 2018 — and missed out on the trophy every time. This is the Bellingham, Foden, Saka and Kane generation, and it's literally now or never. Tuchel was appointed in 2024 to deliver the one thing Southgate couldn't: a trophy. Tuchel won the Champions League with Chelsea and knows tournament football. Group L with Croatia looks tough on paper, but England are enough of a favourite to win it. Strength: midfield depth. Weakness: still the mental block on penalties. It would be poetic if England became world champions again 60 years after 1966 — but English poetry rarely ends well.
Two consecutive World Cups in the last four (final 2018, third place 2022) — a statistical absurdity for a country of 4 million. The engine is Luka Modrić, who at 40 plays his fifth and absolutely last World Cup. Beside him, Kovačić, Sosa and Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City) carry the project forward. England are the favourites for group top in Group L; Croatia likely take second. Then comes what always happens: they go further than anyone expects. Dalić's tactic is to take more talented teams to extra time — and it often works. A semi-final is plausible; for Modrić it would be symbolic.
Set your 10 sliders and decide which teams win according to your model — including this group-stage match.
Start predicting →Yes — England and Croatia meet in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup (Group L).
On the FIFA world ranking, England (#4) are favoured over Croatia (#10). The gap is 6 ranking places.
England: World champion (1966) (17 World Cup appearances). Croatia: Runner-up (2018) (6 World Cup appearances).
England are coached by Thomas Tuchel. Croatia are coached by Zlatko Dalić.
England play in Group L. Croatia play in Group L.
Last updated: 2026-06-07