Join The Club
England's World Cup campaign kicks off with a clash against Croatia, a familiar foe in recent years for the Three Lions.
When it comes to Group L at the World Cup 2026, it would be safe to say England and Croatia are the teams to watch.
It should make for an interesting affair when Thomas Tuchel's side take on Croatia in the group opener, then. But, over the years, which team has the edge?
England vs Croatia head-to-head record
Croatia may feel like regular opponents for England, but that's purely recency bias. In fact, the two nations have only played each other 11 times in their entire history.
Of those 11 games, England have the advantage with six wins overall, while Croatia have won just three. There have been two draws between the two teams.
Of the 11 meetings, four of them have come in the past eight years.
You'll all remember that World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia in 2018, where the latter ended up winning in extra time. Kieran Trippier gave Gareth Southgate's men the lead with a wicked free-kick, but the Croats stormed back and broke England hearts.
Since then, England have restored their dominance, though. A draw and a win in the Nations League double-header later in 2018 was followed by a 1-0 win for England at Euro 2020, with Raheem Sterling scoring the sole goal there.
Interestingly, Croatia were also at the heart of another miserable time for England. They defeated Steve McLaren's side twice in the qualifying stage for Euro 2008, a tournament the Three Lions famously missed out on.
Thankfully, England got revenge soon after, hammering Croatia 4-1 and 5-1 during World Cup 2010 qualification. Theo Walcott scored a hattrick in the first game, while Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard bagged a brace each in the return fixture.
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 |
It's sure to be a tight game between England and Croatia at the World Cup 2026, with it likely to be just one goal separating the two sides on the night.
If Tuchel gets his team selection and tactics right, he will not only get the competition off to a promising start for the Three Lions, but extend that unbeaten run against Croatia to four games.
