England vs. Croatia LIVE: World Cup 2026 score, team news and updates

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of England's opening World Cup 2026 clash against Croatia in Group L!

The Three Lions kick off their latest bid for global glory against the team who broke their hearts in the 2018 semi-finals, before Zlatko Dalic's men were then subjected to a gut-wrenching final loss to France.

Make sure you do not miss a beat with our live blog below!

England vs. Croatia: What's the story?

Frequent foes in years gone by, England and Croatia have locked horns three times since the Chequered Ones' monumental success in Russia, which they have been unable to repeat against the Three Lions since.

Gareth Southgate memorably oversaw a 1-0 triumph for England over Croatia at Euro 2020 courtesy of a Raheem Sterling strike, and clean sheets have coincidentally been easy to come by under Thomas Tuchel.

The 1966 World Cup winners were the first UEFA nation to book their ticket to the Mundial, winning all eight of their preliminary matches without conceding a single goal, before dissatisfactory friendly results vs. Uruguay and Japan triggered renewed debate about their World Cup credentials.

However, Tuchel's men concluded their preparations with back-to-back wins over New Zealand and Costa Rica, and only one of their last eight opening World Cup matches has seen them come out on the wrong end of the scoreline.

Croatia's World Cup Qualifying campaign was almost impeccable too, as Dalic's men only dropped two points en route to the 48-team tournament, in which they are seeking a third successive podium finish.

Bronze medallists in 2022 after settling for second best in 2018, Croatia have since also claimed a runners-up prize in the Nations League, and the old guard is still going strong.

Forty-year-old Luka Modric and 37-year-old Ivan Perisic remain the standout names in the Chequered Ones' squad, although only seven players in the Croatian ranks are at least 30 years old.