England v Croatia: 2026 World Cup Prediction

Wednesday sees one of the most exciting group matches at the 2026 World Cup on the programme. We are, of course, talking about England v Croatia, two nations that have performed exceptionally well at recent European Championships and World Cups. Once again, we’ll get to enjoy watching Luka Modric, the ‘Cruijff of the Balkans’. Meanwhile, a host of English stars are ready to secure their first World Cup victory since 1966. But before that can happen, there’s the group stage to get through. We’ll tell you more about this match and give you our England v Croatia prediction.

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England v Croatia preview

England and Croatia are both experienced tournament sides who have gone far in European Championships and World Cups in recent years. This promises to be a tactically interesting and exciting match.

Current Form & Team News

England

England had a turbulent run-up to the World Cup. Of course, the majority of the players have had a tough year in the Premier League, but what was more striking was that a number of big names will not be featuring at the 2026 World Cup. For instance, national team manager Thomas Tuchel left out Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold, amongst others. On top of that, Bukayo Saka, who won the league title with Arsenal this year, is currently sidelined with an injury. In short, the pressure is on once again for the Three Lions.

Croatia

Can the Croatians shine one last time under the leadership of Luka Modric, the greatest Croatian footballer of all time? The star, now 40, led his team to the final and semi-final in the last two World Cups and still seems to be a valuable asset. Yet things have not gone quite so well for the Croatians in recent years. Euro 2024 was a disaster, whilst in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup they lost to nations such as Belgium and Brazil. Could they, as underdogs, perhaps pull off a surprise against the British?

Head-to-Head

England and Croatia have played a number of memorable matches against each other in the past. Croatia have managed to surprise England on several occasions, including at the 2018 World Cup. Their most recent encounters have often been close and tactical.

Expected Line-ups

Engeland (4-3-3):

Pickford, O’Reilly, Stones, Konsa, James, Rice, Anderson, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane, Madueke

Kroatië (4-3-3):

Livakovic, Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Sutalo, Stanisic, Modric, Kramaric, Kovacic, Perisic, Budimir, Baturina

England v Croatia Betting Tips

Betting Tip 1: Under 0.5 goals for Croatia

England usually put in very strong performances during the group stage at major football tournaments. Thanks in part to a solid defence, they almost always progress to the knockout stages with ease. Add to that the fact that Croatia have scored just once in their last three encounters with England, and it looks set to be a tough task for the Balkan nation. We’re going for under 0.5 goals for Croatia. This gives you odds of 2.12.

Betting tip 2: Anthony Gordon to score or provide an assist

If there’s one player on cloud nine, it’s Anthony Gordon. The English left winger had a superb season for Newcastle and moved to FC Barcelona last month for over €80,000,000. Meanwhile, last week he scored a goal and provided an assist in the 3-0 win against Costa Rica. We expect the striker to start and believe he will either score or provide an assist. This will earn you odds of 2.80.

England v Croatia prediction

Final score: England v Croatia 2–0
England have more individual quality and a stronger squad. We expect the English to be in control of this match.