England made a winning start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign after a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia, overcoming defensive concerns and a spirited fightback from their European rivals to begin Thomas Tuchel’s tournament reign on a positive note.
Tuchel became the latest manager tasked with ending England’s 60-year wait for a major men’s international trophy, while Croatia arrived hoping to continue their impressive record after reaching the last four in each of the previous two World Cups under Zlatko Dalić.
The Croatians, embracing their underdog status, started confidently and looked to exploit early nerves from the Three Lions.
However, England were handed the perfect opportunity to take control when referee Clément Turpin awarded a penalty after Luka Modrić brought down Noni Madueke inside the area.
Harry Kane saw his initial spot-kick saved by Dominik Livaković, but the Croatian goalkeeper had moved off his line too early, while Joško Gvardiol was penalised for encroachment.
Given a second chance, Kane made no mistake, converting confidently to mark his record-breaking 30th appearance for England at a major tournament.
Croatia responded in impressive fashion, with Martin Baturina producing a stunning strike to beat Jordan Pickford and level the contest.
England restored their advantage through Kane once again, as the captain powered home Declan Rice’s corner to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals for the Three Lions.
But England’s defensive vulnerabilities remained evident, and Croatia punished them just before half-time. Ivan Perišić’s headed knockdown found Petar Musa, who calmly finished past Pickford to send the teams into the break level at 2-2.
The equaliser sparked an immediate reaction from England, who regained the lead just two minutes after the restart through Jude Bellingham.
The midfielder marked his achievement of becoming the youngest European player to feature at four different major tournaments with a composed finish from a tight angle after connecting with Elliot Anderson’s excellent pass.
England then dominated proceedings, but Livaković kept Croatia alive with a string of outstanding saves to deny Declan Rice, Nico O’Reilly and Anthony Gordon.
Croatia remained a threat, with Pickford forced into a fine stop to keep out Marco Pašalić’s close-range effort.
However, the result was sealed late on when two substitutes combined to put the game beyond Croatia’s reach. Bukayo Saka raced forward from the right before setting up Marcus Rashford, who cut inside and calmly fired past Livaković.
The victory gives England the ideal start to their World Cup campaign, extending their record to just one defeat in their last nine opening matches at the finals.
Croatia, meanwhile, must regroup after another disappointing tournament opener, having now lost four of their last five World Cup first games and suffered a fifth defeat in seven meetings against England.
