England beat Croatia in a high-scoring match at the start of the 2026 World Cup
The England national team defeated Croatia in their opening Group L match of the 2026 World Cup. The match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington ended 4–2 in England’s favour.
Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 12th minute. The striker converted a penalty at the second attempt after the referee awarded a spot-kick for goalkeeper Dominik Livaković coming off his line prematurely.
In the 36th minute, Croatia equalised. Martin Baturina fired a precise shot from the right-hand corner of the penalty area into the top corner of the net.
Just before half-time, England took the lead once again. In the 42nd minute, Kane scored his second goal, heading home a cross from Declan Rice following a corner.
However, in first-half stoppage time, the Croatians levelled the score for the second time. In the 45+5th minute, Petar Musa met a pass from Ivan Perišić and slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford.
At the start of the second half, Thomas Tuchel’s side regained the initiative. In the 47th minute, Jude Bellingham received the ball on the wing, cut into the penalty area and fired a precise shot into the far corner.
Marcus Rashford sealed the final score in the 85th minute. The forward cut in from the left flank and sent the ball into the opponent’s net with a precise strike.
England thus got off to a winning start in the tournament, whilst Croatia suffered defeat in their first World Cup match.
In the second round of the group stage, England will face Ghana on 23 June, whilst Croatia will take on Panama on 24 June.
The 2026 World Cup is being held in the USA, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July. For the first time, 48 national teams are taking part in the tournament.
