England vs Croatia – World Cup 2026: Kane, predictions, TV channel, kickoff
Title contenders England begin their FIFA World Cup campaign against familiar foes Croatia in Group L in Dallas. Read below to find out the kickoff
Title contenders England begin their FIFA World Cup campaign against familiar foes Croatia in Group L in Dallas. Read below to find out the kickoff time, team news, key players and predictions. The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the Al Jazeera Sport widget to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time. Who: England vs Croatia What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match Where: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas When: Wednesday, 3pm local time (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream. Chants of “It’s Coming Home” will ring around parts of England on Wednesday as the European heavyweights begin their 2026 World Cup title bid with a test against familiar foes, Croatia. It has been 60 years since England were last crowned world champions, but they are genuine contenders for the title this year. While coach Thomas Tuchel’s squad selection divided fan opinion in the run-up to their journey to North America, bookmakers still believe this crop of English talent, headlined by Harry Kane, can achieve a deep run in the tournament. Their first hurdle, though, is a challenging one. Once labelled underdogs, Croatia have grown into one of international football’s most consistent tournament performers, finishing as World Cup runners-up in 2018 and earning third place at the last edition, in 2022, as well as 1998. Their 40-year-old captain Luka Modric may well be heading into his last tournament, but he remains the heartbeat of the team, and as has been the case for years, Croatia pose a threat under his leadership. Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know about England vs Croatia Kane: 2026 World Cup ‘one of the best opportunities’ for England triumph After a string of near-misses at recent European Championships and World Cups, England head into the 2026 tournament chasing their first world title since 1966.
They are led by captain Kane, who has arrived in North America in some of the best form of his career, and fresh off the high of lifting his second Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. “For sure, it’s one of the best opportunities we will have as a team to win it,” Kane told reporters, talking about England’s odds of winning the tournament. “I think everyone is eager to just start well and prove that we have the capabilities of going far in this tournament.” The 32-year-old has urged his team, who had a 100 percent record in the qualifiers, to “go for it” and be “free in the mind” when they launch their World Cup title charge in Texas. Tuchel, too, knows the expectations from fans are high, with England among the top contenders in the 48-team tournament. Their best run in recent times has been reaching the semifinals in 2018, while their last campaign ended in the quarterfinals in 2022 – both under former manager Gareth Southgate. “We have a right to dream, but we don’t want to be delusional,” Tuchel has said. Croatia coach Dalic warns about goal-machine Kane, calls Modric his ‘right hand’ Croatia’s head coach Zlatko Dalic has warned his team to be wary of goal-scoring machine Kane, who netted a whopping 61 times in 51 matches in all competitions for Bayern Munich last season. “They have the best striker in the world, they have Kane, and Kane can do a hell of a lot,” said Dalic. “We will do a lot, we will do our best not only to defend ourselves but to attack, to go forward. “There will be set pieces, which will be quite difficult, but we are prepared for that. I expect a great game, and it will be great preparation for the next two games in the group.” Just as Kane is central to England’s hopes of a deep run, veteran Modric is crucial to Croatia’s World Cup dreams.
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