England vs. Croatia Picks – World Cup Group L Betting Preview, Team News, and Predictions (Jun 17) 

• When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026. 4:00 PM ET
• Where: Dallas Stadium, USA
• How to Watch: FOX

England vs. Croatia World Cup Preview

England kick off their FIFA World Cup campaign in Group L on June 17, as the Three Lions come up against Croatia in a rematch of the 2018 semi-final. Find our picks for the World Cup matchup here.

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England Stats & Team News

Thomas Tuchel will be dreaming of a fast start with his England side on MD1, as the Three Lions come up against Croatia. England were reliable in qualifying, winning all eight of their fixtures, and keeping eight straight clean sheets. Underwhelming friendlies have followed, but it is worth noting that experimental line-ups were fielded.

England have been an excellent tournament team in recent years, reaching the last two finals at the EUROs. In Harry Kane, they have one of the very best players on the planet, with the striker scoring 60 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich in 2025-26.

Likely Lineup:

(4-2-3-1) Pickford (GK); James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Rogers, Rashford; Kane

Croatia Stats & Team News

Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia have been a consistent force at the top of world soccer, reaching the semi-finals in the last two editions of the World Cup. However, the aging nature of their squad is a concern, as Vatreni remain over reliant on stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, and Andrej Kramaric.

Staggeringly, Croatia have finished no worse than third in half of their appearances at the World Cup. Their spot in this summer’s tournament was achieved after winning seven of their eight qualifying fixtures.

Likely Lineup:

(4-5-1) Livakovic (GK); Stanisic, Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Pongracic; Kovacic, Modric, Moro, Vlasic, Perisic; Kramaric  

Head-to-Head Stats

• Croatia beat England 2-1 in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
• England have won back-to-back meetings with Croatia, including a 1-0 success at EURO 2020.

England vs. Croatia World Cup Picks

This will be England’s biggest challenge in the group stage. There will be huge pressure on the Three Lions not to lose, meaning that a defensive approach could lead to a frustrating draw being picked up.

• The Draw (+293)