Group L gets underway when England face Croatia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kick-off on Wednesday, June 17 at 4:00 PM ET / 3:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM MT / 1:00 PM PT at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The fixture cannot be discussed without nodding to Moscow 2018, when Croatia clawed back from a Kieran Trippier free-kick and won in extra time to push England out of a World Cup semifinal. Eight years on the roles have flipped, and it is England who walk into Texas as one of the genuine title contenders.
Croatia have aged into the kind of side that frustrates rather than overwhelms; patient, structured, and hard to break down. A group that also contains Ghana and Panama means neither team can afford a slow opener, and three points on matchday one shapes the rest of the bracket.
At bet365 the price reflects the gap: England sit at -138, the draw drifts out to +270, and Croatia trade at +375. That is a respectful market, not a runaway one. Tournament openers tend to be tight, and the Three Lions still need to live up to the billing.
England vs Croatia: Best Bets & Predictions
The pick is England, but the route there runs through a low-scoring grind rather than a comfortable rout.
| Our Prediction | Odds & Sportsbook | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| England to Win | -138 @ bet365 (58%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Squad depth tilts the floor. England can rotate Champions League starters from the bench, and they have won four of the last six between the nations. |
| Correct Score: 1-0 England | +600 @ bet365 (14%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | First-night nerves usually cap the goal count, and Croatia are not a side that leaks late once a tactical script settles. A one-goal margin tracks the pattern. |
| Harry Kane anytime scorer | Check bet365 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | The captain owns the armband, the penalty duties, and the all-time England scoring record, on the back of another Bundesliga Golden Boot at Bayern. |
| Under 2.5 Goals | -138 @ bet365 (58%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Every meeting since 2009 has been decided by a single goal at most, and Croatia bleed the tempo out of fixtures by design. |
| Both Teams to Score: No | -125 @ bet365 (56%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Croatia did not score against this England back line at Euro 2020, and the centre-back pairing remains the most settled part of the team. |
How we’d line it up: England’s moneyline as the anchor, then layer Under 2.5 and BTTS No on top to lean into the same low-scoring read of the night.
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please play responsibly.
Group L — 2026 FIFA World Cup
England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama make up Group L. Nothing has been played yet, so the table below shows the seeded order from the draw with every column reading zero.
| Team | Pos | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Croatia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ghana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Panama | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Potential Match-Winners
- Harry Kane (England): Another Bundesliga Golden Boot, another season at the front of the Bayern attack. The captain holds the all-time England scoring mark and remains the side’s primary penalty option whenever the spot is offered.
- Bukayo Saka (England): Arsenal’s right-sided creator carries the pace and final-third decision-making to test a Croatian back four whose recovery speed is no longer the strength it used to be.
- Jude Bellingham (England): The Real Madrid playmaker brings vertical drive from midfield and late runs into the box that consistently find scoring positions, and at 22 he is already the team’s biggest tournament asset.
- Luka Modrić (Croatia): Croatia’s captain remains the rhythm section in midfield, and his range of passing is what turns a defensive block into a counter-attack any time his side win the ball back.
Head-to-Head
The recent record sits in England’s favour, with four wins from the last six fixtures. The lone defeat across that run is the one that still stings, in Moscow in 2018. Margins have otherwise stayed compressed: no result has been decided by more than a single goal in any meeting since 2009.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 2021 | England 1-0 Croatia | European Championship |
| Nov 18, 2018 | England 2-1 Croatia | Nations League |
| Oct 12, 2018 | Croatia 0-0 England | Nations League |
| Jul 11, 2018 | Croatia 2-1 England (AET) | World Cup |
| Sep 9, 2009 | England 5-1 Croatia | World Cup Qualifying |
Form Coming Into the Tournament
England land in Texas after a clean qualifying run and a settled spine of Kane, Saka, Bellingham, and Declan Rice. The roster mixes Premier League pillars with regulars at Real Madrid, Bayern, and Paris, and the bench in attack is deeper than almost any nation in the tournament. That depth is what separates a contender from a side that just wins a group.
Croatia turn up to a fourth straight major-tournament cycle on the back of two finals and a semifinal in the last three. Modrić and Mateo Kovačić still own midfield, but the conversation has shifted to the front line, where goals have not flowed as freely as in past cycles. The task in Arlington is to keep up with England’s tempo without burning the legs of a midfield that has logged a lot of miles.
England vs Croatia Prediction
The night sets up as a measured England performance: monopolise possession, stretch a Croatian midfield that no longer covers the ground it once did, and find the goal that the chances should produce. The lean is England, on a narrow scoreline. Back England to win at -138 with bet365 as the anchor pick. To track where the wider title market sits, the World Cup 2026 outright odds page has the full board, and there is also a Mexico vs South Africa preview for another opener on the same matchday. Kick-off is 4:00 PM ET at AT&T Stadium, Arlington. For the sharpest pricing on the night, compare across our recommended Canadian sportsbooks.
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please play responsibly.
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