England vs Croatia LIVE: Team news, lineups, and build-up to the World Cup opener

Welcome along to FourFourTwo's liveblog of England vs Croatia, the Three Lions' opening fixture of World Cup 2026!

Tino Livramento has left the squad through injury, replaced by Trevoh Chalobah
Bukayo Saka may not start the fixture
John Stones is expected to partner Ezri Konsa in defence
Kick-off from 9pm BST

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2026-06-17T17:33:09.759Z

Remember, there's still time to play our World Cup predictor – and win £1,000 while you're at it!

2026-06-17T17:08:24.567Z

England's record against Croatia

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Date	Result	Competition
24 April 1996	England 0-0 Croatia	Friendly
20 August 2003	England 3-1 Croatia	Friendly
21 June 2004	Croatia 2-4 England	Euro 2004
11 October 2006	Croatia 2-0 England	Euro 2008 qualifiers
21 November 2007	England 2-3 Croatia	Euro 2008 qualifiers
10 September 2008	Croatia 1-4 England	World Cup 2010 qualifiers
9 September 2009	England 5-1 Croatia	World Cup 2010 qualifiers
11 July 2018	Croatia 2-1 England	World Cup 2018
12 October 2018	Croatia 0-0 England	Nations League
18 November 2018	England 2-1 Croatia	Nations League
13 June 2021	England 1-0 Croatia	Euro 2020

2026-06-17T16:54:22.415Z

In case you needed reminding of what happened the last time England and Croatia met at a World Cup…

15-Minute Match: Croatia vs England | 2018 Semi-Final - YouTube

Watch On

Tonight is a chance for England to get some revenge – the Three Lions have since beaten Luka Modric and co. in the Nations League and the European Championship, let's not forget.

2026-06-17T16:38:50.684Z

How well do you know England? Try our ultimate Three Lions quiz…

2026-06-17T16:30:48.434Z

There's just over two-and-a-half hours to go until England kick off their World Cup journey.

General view inside Dallas Stadium before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia on June 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. — Dallas Stadium (Image credit: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

We're at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas for this one, as Thomas Tuchel's England face 2022's semi-finalists in Group L.

Preparation for this one has been far from ideal. Tino Livramento's injury yesterday meant a late substitution for the Three Lions, as Trevoh Chalobah got a last-minute flight out to the United States – and all of this comes off the back of England having a load of their gear stolen last week.

Still, let's hope they can evoke the spirit of Pickles in 1966, and use the robbery as a springboard to glory.

First up, Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal have an appointment with DR Congo, live from 6pm.