England vs. Croatia: How to watch, date, time, live stream and TV channel for World Cup 2026 clash

The road to World Cup 2026 supremacy begins on Wednesday for England, whose opening Group L battle sees the Three Lions pit their wits against Croatia.

The two nations have already met 11 times down the years, no battle more famous than Croatia's World Cup 2018 semi-final win, but the Three Lions have since strung together a three-match unbeaten sequence.

Here, Sports Mole provides all the details you need to know about how to tune into the contest.

What time does England vs. Croatia kick off?

England vs. Croatia has been scheduled for a reasonable 9pm kickoff in the UK.

Meanwhile, the match will be starting at 3pm in Arlington, where the fixture is being played.

Where is England vs. Croatia being played?

England and Croatia are squaring off at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, home of NFL outfit Dallas Cowboys which will be hosting nine World Cup 2026 matches.

The retractable roof stadium was the venue for the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Japan and will also welcome two of the semi-finalists on July 14.

How to watch England vs. Croatia in the UK

TV channels

England vs. Croatia has been selected for broadcast on ITV1 and STV for viewers in the UK.

ITV1 can be accessed on channel number 103 for those on Virgin Media, Sky and BT, and channel number 3 for those on Freeview.

Online streaming

ITV's corresponding streaming service ITVX will also be showing the match live, allowing fans to catch the action on phones, computers and games consoles.

For those tuning in from Scotland, the STV Player will provide similar levels of access.

Highlights

The best bits of the game will be uploaded to the ITV Sport YouTube channel and itv.com shortly after full time.

The @itvfootball X account will also post goals, red cards and other notable snippets as and when they happen.

What is at stake for England and Croatia?

With no disrespect towards Ghana or Panama, it is fair to say that the winner of Wednesday's game - if there is one - will be the overwhelming favourite to finish in first place.

England entered the World Cup on the back of an unblemished qualification record, earning eight wins from a possible eight while conceding zero goals, while Croatia only dropped two points in the preliminary process.

The Three Lions are also aiming to protect a pleasing opening-game record, having lost just one of their last eight first-round matches at a men's World Cup - a 2-1 reverse to Italy in 2014.

However, Croatia did not lose a single group-stage game in 2018 or 2022, although only one of their last five first-round fixtures has ended in victory - a 2-0 success over Nigeria eight years ago.

> Click here to read our full preview for England vs. Croatia at the World Cup