Match Centre: England 4-2 Croatia

England defeated Croatia 4-2 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, and Marcus Rashford among the scorers. The two nations were meeting at the World Cup for the second time, having previously faced each other in the 2018 semi-finals, which Croatia won 2-1 after extra time. England made their 17th World Cup appearance and eighth consecutive qualification, their longest streak since missing the 1994 tournament.