England vs. Croatia: Two reasons why Thomas Tuchel's Three Lions could win World Cup 2026 - and how they may fall short

England kicked off their World Cup 2026 campaign on Wednesday night, overcoming stern opposition to secure a 4-2 triumph over Croatia in Arlington, Texas.

The Three Lions took the lead early on through Harry Kane, who dispatched a penalty at the second time of asking after Noni Madueke was fouled by Luka Modric.

However, Thomas Tuchel's side were pegged back to 1-1 when Martin Baturina of Como fired home a screamer, and after Kane put England back in front, Petar Musa was on hand to level the score.

That being said, the Three Lions were able to come out on top in the second half thanks to their individual quality, as well as the strength of their star-studded bench.

Here, after England's win over Croatia, Sports Mole takes a look at two reasons why Tuchel's men can win the World Cup - and how they might fall short.

England's individual quality shines at World Cup 2026

After Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland set the tone by scoring braces, Lionel Messi went on to score a hat-trick, and Kane was determined not be left behind by his peers on Wednesday.

The Bayern Munich hitman may have missed his initial penalty attempt - and had fans fearing the penalty curse once again - but he confidently rifled his second chance into the right-hand side of the net.

Following a staggering 61-goal season for the Bavarians, expectations were sky high ahead of Kane's arrival at the World Cup, and he more than delivered on the biggest stage.

In a similar vein, Jude Bellingham has been lauded the world over for a number of years, but after a difficult campaign with Real Madrid, there were doubts about the 22-year-old midfielder's ability to be a leading figure for his country this summer.

However, the former Borussia Dortmund star scored the goal that broke the deadlock shortly after the interval, finishing across the goalkeeper in impressive fashion.

Given the fact that individual players and moments often take centre stage in international football, England's stars such as Kane and Bellingham could take them far in the World Cup, but the team will need to provide them a platform from which to shine.

England can maintain intensity for 90 minutes - deepest squad at World Cup 2026?

England boast a star-studded lineup, but they arguably boast the most consistent squad in terms of quality at the World Cup, even when factoring in the questionable selection choices made by Tuchel.

Wednesday's clash saw Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Djed Spence and Marc Guehi introduced from the substitutes bench - five players that would start for most nations in the tournament.

Rashford enjoyed a strong season with Barcelona and went on to score the Three Lions' fourth this week, assisted by Arsenal talisman Saka.

Aside from offering Tuchel options to make tactical changes, the level of talent on the bench means that the team can maintain their intensity for entire matches without a significant drop-off when players tire and need to be replaced.

In a World Cup that will see squads tested to their limits, England's extensive list of top-level players will be a major boon as they aim to last through the remainder of the group stage and stay fresh for the knockout rounds.

England were defensively poor, and could be punished by a better team

For all the Three Lions' attacking prowess, they were more exposed defensively than Tuchel would like, and could have been found out on another day.

Croatia hit the back of the net twice and were consistently able to find space around the England penalty area, even if they lacked the cutting edge to make that final pass.

Such imbalanced performances are survivable in the group stage, but when coming up against the likes of France in the knockout stages, any mistakes could prove costly.

Tuchel's men must find a way to remain composed at the back rather than relying on their offensive force if they are to beat the best teams at the World Cup in one-off games, and failing to do so may be their downfall.

However, Wednesday's win over Croatia was merely the tournament opener, and there is more than enough time for the manager to make the necessary tweaks to ensure his side are more robust in future fixtures.