England vs. Croatia Odds, Live Stream Schedule, Group Scenarios for World Cup 2026

England kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign with the toughest game on its Group L slate.

The Three Lions face off against Croatia on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

England is after its third straight quarterfinal appearance at the World Cup and fifth consecutive final-eight berth at a major tournament.

Croatia is no stranger to deep runs at international tournaments, either, and the 2026 World Cup likely serves as the final run for Luka Modric and other elder statesmen on the roster.

England vs. Croatia Info

Date: Wednesday, June 17

Start Time: 4 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Live Stream: Fox One

Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook): England (-140; bet $140 to win $100); Croatia (+410; bet $100 to win $410); Draw (+270)

England once again enters a tournament with lofty expectations.

The Three Lions were the runner-up at the last two Euros, finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and made the quarterfinals at the 2022 World Cup.

Croatia finished second in 2018 and third in 2022, but its squad is getting older. That showed at Euro 2024 with a group-stage exit.

Luka Modric is 40 and seven members of the squad are 30 years or older, including most of the core that went on those deep World Cup runs.

Croatia is still battle-tested and will be a tough challenge for England, but it might not have the long-term staying power that it did at the last two World Cups.

England's attacking group is as deep as you'll see in the tournament. Harry Kane is the primary scorer, but he also has Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney and Noni Madueke to help out with the scoring.

The expectation for England is to score at least one or two goals in every Group L game, even against an opponent as wily as Croatia.

A win on Wednesday likely sets England up for a nine-point group stage. Ghana and Panama are the other two squads in the group.

Croatia doesn't need to beat England to make the knockout round. It can beat Ghana and Panama and still finish second.

There's even some wiggle room to make the knockout stage if Croatia finishes third because the eight-best third-place teams advance out of the group phase.