England kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Croatia, and Thomas Tuchel’s side are desperate to get off to a flying start.
WATCH — England v Croatia, en Espanol
The Three Lions are one of the favorites to win it all but there are concerns about their defensive unit and whether or not Tuchel can get the balance right. Still, Harry Kane is in the form of his life and the attacking and midfield options Tuchel has at his disposal are scary good.
MORE — Daily schedule for the 2026 World Cup
Croatia punch above their weight year after year and they beat England in the 2018 World Cup semifinals where they were runners up, while they also finished third at the 2022 World Cup as head coach Zlatko Dalic has done a consistently excellent job. Veteran superstar Luka Modric is still going and Croatia are more than capable of winning this game.
How to watch England vs Croatia live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 4pm ET Wednesday (June 17)
Venue: AT&T Stadium — Dallas, Texas
TV Channel: Telemundo
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock, en Espanol
England team news, focus
Most of England’s starting lineup is pretty set but there are a few big decisions for Thomas Tuchel to make. Does Anthony Gordon start over Marcus Rashford on the left wing? Will Jude Bellingham or Morgan Rogers start as the number 10? And there is also a big decision to make a center back with John Stones and Ezri Konsa looking likely to get the nod. Harry Kane is the main man up top with Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson crucial in midfield.
Croatia team news, focus
Modric will captain Croatia and aim to dictate the tempo in central midfield once again, with Mateo Kovacic alongside him. Josko Gvardiol will lead the Croatian defense with plenty of experience scattered throughout this lineup as Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric and Mario Pasalic are all part of an extremely tight-knit group. Dominik Livakovic will have to have a top game in goal if Croatia are going to prevail.
England vs Croatia prediction
This feels like it could easily be a draw but England have a lot of talented forwards to bring off the bench to keep the energy levels high, and they will just about get the job done. England 2-1 Croatia.
How to Watch the World Cup with Xfinity
If you’re looking for a simple way to watch the World Cup in English on Fox and in Spanish on Telemundo, Xfinity makes it easy to follow the World Cup and stay connected to global soccer year‑round. With the World Soccer Ticket, fans get access to top leagues, live TV, and streaming — all in one place — so you never miss the action.
Introducing World Soccer Ticket - For $85/mo, get over 1,500 soccer matches, plus:
- All the top leagues, from the Premier League to La Liga
- Xfinity TV, with an X1 box, on us
- The Xfinity Stream app, for on-the-go viewing
- Peacock Premium, at no extra cost (currently $10.99/mo. value)
World Soccer Ticket: No term contract. Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. One X1 box included; if service changes, regular rates apply. Taxes extra. Pricing and programming subject to change. Not eligible for multi-product discounts.
