England vs Croatia Prediction | World Cup | 17/06
International - World Cup
The World Cup 2026 Group L opener sees England and Croatia meet in a heavyweight clash at Dallas Stadium on 17 June. Both sides view this as a pivotal early test in a group completed by Ghana and Panama, where momentum could be decisive.
England, now managed by Thomas Tuchel, has developed into a structured and defensively solid unit since he arrived in 2025. Croatia, under Zlatko Dalić, arrive in strong form after an unbeaten qualifying campaign, reinforcing their status as one of the most reliable tournament teams in recent years.
Have a read of our England vs Croatia prediction before you decide on your bet.
England vs Croatia prediction for the 2026 World Cup
Both sides are kicking off their 2026 World Cup campaign in this tie. We weighed up the history, squad depth and current form of each nation before settling on our prediction.
Here is the bet we recommend:
Double Chance: Draw or Croatia
Market: Double Chance: Draw or Croatia · @ 2.22
Confidence
72%
Last updated: 17-06-2026
Who are the favourites?
Based on the leading UK-licensed bookmakers, England is tipped to come out on top, with 55% of the odds leaning towards their win.
Looking for more? Browse all the World Cup odds and dig into this and other ties from the planet's biggest football tournament.
England hold the head-to-head edge
England comes out ahead in the record against Croatia.
Across 4 meeting(s), the breakdown reads:
England: 2 win(s)
Croatia: 1 win(s)
Draws: 1
At the 2026 World Cup, that head-to-head edge is one more thing to factor into the England vs Croatia prediction.
England: opening the 2026 World Cup
England make their FIFA World Cup bow having already logged 12 match(es) in 2026 in the build-up. Here is how they have fared:
10 win(s), 1 draw(s) and 1 loss(es)
27 goals scored (2.25 per game)
2 goals conceded (0.17 per game)
Players to watch for England National Team
Leading scorer: Harry Kane with 8 goal(s)
Most assists: Declan Rice with 4
- 06/10/2026EnglandCzech RepublicW3006/10/2026UEFA Nations LeagueEngland
v.s
Czech Republic3 - 0W - 03/10/2026CroatiaEnglandW0703/10/2026UEFA Nations LeagueCroatia
v.s
England0 - 7W - 29/09/2026Czech RepublicEnglandW0229/09/2026UEFA Nations LeagueCzech Republic
v.s
England0 - 2W - 26/09/2026EnglandSpainL2326/09/2026UEFA Nations LeagueEngland
v.s
Spain2 - 3L - 18/07/2026FranceEnglandW4618/07/2026World CupFrance
v.s
England4 - 6W
Croatia: opening the 2026 World Cup
Croatia step out at the FIFA World Cup for the first time this edition after 12 match(es) in 2026.
Here is the Croatia National Team record:
This year so far
9 win(s), 1 draw(s) and 2 loss(es)
31 goals scored (2.58 per game)
11 goals conceded (0.92 per game)
Players to watch for Croatia National Team
Leading scorer: Andrej Kramarić with 6 goal(s)
Most assists: Ivan Perišić with 4
- 06/10/2026CroatiaSpainL1206/10/2026UEFA Nations LeagueCroatia
v.s
Spain1 - 2L - 03/10/2026CroatiaEnglandL0703/10/2026UEFA Nations LeagueCroatia
v.s
England0 - 7L - 29/09/2026SpainCroatiaL4129/09/2026UEFA Nations LeagueSpain
v.s
Croatia4 - 1L - 26/09/2026Czech RepublicCroatiaW1226/09/2026UEFA Nations LeagueCzech Republic
v.s
Croatia1 - 2W - 02/07/2026PortugalCroatiaL2102/07/2026World CupPortugal
v.s
Croatia2 - 1L
England vs Croatia statistics at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Before you stake anything, look over the side-by-side comparison that sheds light on each nation's current form for this World Cup tie:
England
Home
Croatia
Away
Points & Results
- PPG00
- 0%Wins0%
- 0%First to Score0%
Goals Scored & Conceded
- Scored/game00
- Conceded/game00
- xG00
- xGA00
Trends
- 0%Both Score0%
- 0%Clean Sheet0%
- 0%Failed to Score0%
England vs Croatia probable lineups
See the likely starting elevens below for our England vs Croatia prediction at the 2026 World Cup.
England: Pickford, James, Stones, Guéhi, O'Reilly, Rice, Anderson, Saka, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.
Croatia: Livaković, Stanišić, Erlić, Pongračić, Gvardiol, Modrić, Kovačić, Pašalić, Baturina, Perišić, Kramarić.
How to watch England vs Croatia live in the UK
Find out below where you can catch England vs Croatia live during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Just remember, kick-off is at 21:00 UK time.
For the full schedule, check our our World Cup live streaming page.
VS
Watch this match
England vs Croatia
More betting tips for this match
Alongside the main tip given at the top of this article, here are some other strong bets for England vs Croatia:
Our prediction is: under 9.5 corners
We expect that corners will be hard to come by in the England vs Croatia match. Neither team has been able to create too many corner opportunities this season with how they have played, and this figures to be another match with a low corner count.
So for this match, we recommend betting on under 9.5 corners, where 9 total corners or fewer between the two teams will win the bet.
Our prediction is: England to win
Our big betting tip for this match is a England home win. England may not be in the best of form, but we believe they have the quality to pull off a big win against Croatia.
Moreover, home support has consistently given England a big boost, and the crowd should be cheering and full of energy throughout this massive match.
Further 2026 World Cup predictions
Browse all of our 2026 FIFA World Cup predictions and keep up with the sharpest analysis from start to finish of the tournament.
Match details: England vs Croatia
🆚 Fixture England vs Croatia
🏆 Tournament 2026 FIFA World Cup
📅 Date Wednesday, 17/06/2026
🕐 Kick-off 21:00 UK time
🏟️ Venue Dallas Stadium
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