England faces Croatia in World Cup 2026 opener

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⚽️ Kick-off: 3pm local time/4pm EDT/9pm BST/6am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email Scott It’s day seven of the 2026 World Cup, and finally England are on their way. They are Tom’s 26. Hear the roar, of the red, white and … ah who remembers that cheesy old song anyway? Point is, after an interminable wait, England are at long last getting down to business. Whether they’d have hand-picked Croatia as their first opponents is a moot point. On the one hand, England are a young and vibrant team, the sap rising, while most of Croatia’s first choice are in their 30s and their captain and talisman Luka Modric is now into his fifth decade. But on the other, this is a team that reached the final in 2018 and the semis last time round, and all of that Croatian experience has got to count for something. Continue reading...

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 7pm local/12am BST/9am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Beau Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what you need to know about Ghana and Panama with our team guides. Ghana’s performance in a warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff gave a sense of what their new coach, Carlos Queiroz, might be up to. The first half was not surprising – a leaky, low block with poorly coordinated pressing that brought back memories of the dysfunctional team Otto Addo had left behind. The second half was markedly different: a well-coordinated mid-block with synchronised pressing and better protection for the full-backs. Continue reading...

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The first week of the 2026 World Cup ends with the last of the 48 national sides getting started, including Portugal and England.Jordan Pickford is expected to start in goal for the Three Lions, as he...