England vs Croatia: World Cup 2026 Journey Begins

England’s wait is over. The World Cup 2026 journey starts in Dallas, and it starts with a ghost from the past.

Eight years on from that shattering semi-final in Russia, England meet Croatia again, this time in a Group L opener that already feels heavier than a first step usually should. New coach, new setting, same old scar.

Tuchel’s England step into the light

Thomas Tuchel has spent months planning for this night. Now it comes down to choices.

He has 25 of his 26-man squad available. Only Trevoh Chalobah, drafted in late, will sit this one out as he continues his push for fitness. Everyone else is in the frame, and that gives Tuchel both power and pressure.

At the tip of it all stands Harry Kane. The captain walks into another major tournament with the familiar weight on his shoulders and the same ruthless expectation that he will deliver. Across the opening days of this World Cup, the big names have already stamped their authority on the competition. Kane will expect to join them.

The real dilemma sits just off his shoulder.

Saka question hangs over team sheet

Bukayo Saka changes the geometry of this England side. With him, England stretch the pitch, break lines, and pin full-backs deep. Without him, Tuchel must redraw the entire attacking map.

Saka is nursing an injury and needs his workload managed. That is the cold reality behind the warm optimism around England’s camp. He is here, he is involved, but the medical team and Tuchel know they cannot simply throw him into the fire and hope.

Can he start? That is the question that will run right up to the team announcement. Tuchel must weigh the temptation of unleashing one of his most dangerous players from the first whistle against the risk of losing him deeper into the tournament.

Hold him back and England may lack their sharpest edge against a seasoned opponent. Start him and the gamble becomes physical, not tactical.

Croatia, changed but not gone

Croatia no longer carry quite the same aura as the side that broke English hearts in 2018. Time has thinned that generation. Some of the old warriors have gone, others are winding down, and the squad has been reshaped.

Yet one constant remains at the core of it all: Luka Modric.

Even now, he dictates Croatia’s rhythm, their tempo, their nerve. As long as Modric stands in the centre of the pitch, head up, arms out, Croatia have a heartbeat and a plan. They may not be the force they once were, but they are not a memory either.

In a group that also includes Ghana and Panama, this opener carries a clear edge. Win, and England seize control of the section. Slip, and the path through the group tightens quickly.

Dallas will stage more games in this World Cup, but for England and Tuchel, this is the night that will tell everyone whether old wounds have healed or are about to be reopened.