England opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium in Texas on June 17, with the match kicking off at 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. BST) [1, 2, 3].
Harry Kane led England's scoring with two first-half goals, including a retaken penalty, setting the tone for the win [1]. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford added second-half goals to seal the result [1, 4]. Despite a shaky first half marked by defensive and possession problems, England bounced back strongly after halftime, overturning early concerns [4].
Croatia managed two goals but ultimately could not keep pace with England's attack [1]. England's head coach Thomas Tuchel guided the squad, which notably omitted players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden [5, 2, 4].
The match drew a peak UK television audience of 15.4 million viewers on ITV, reflecting strong domestic interest in the tournament opener [6]. Analyst Anthony Barry described England's early play as suffering from "nervous energy," making their game "confused and complicated" against a Croatian midfield experienced in controlling play [4]. Harry Kane expressed confidence, saying he was "in the best place physically and mentally" going into the tournament [5].
England's 2026 World Cup start came later than most other teams, beginning on June 17 [2, 3]. Other group stage matches on June 20 included the Netherlands defeating Sweden 5-1 with key goals from Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo [7, 8].
