England face Croatia in World Cup opener with history at stake

England met Croatia in the World Cup opener at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday June 17 at 9pm BST, a fixture carrying more weight than a routine group match. Thomas Tuchel made his World Cup debut as England manager, and the brief around him was clear: steer a squad that arrived off a perfect qualification campaign toward “a second star” on the shirt.

Croatia brought the memory that still defines this rivalry for England. The teams met in the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow, where England took the lead in the fifth minute through Kieran Trippier before Croatia turned the match around after extra time, winning 2-1 at Luzhniki Stadium. Ivan Perišić levelled in the 68th minute and Mario Mandžukić settled it in the 109th, in front of 78,011 spectators. FIFA says that result sent Croatia to their first World Cup final.

The opener also sat inside a group that left little room for early mistakes. England were drawn with Croatia, Panama and Ghana in Group L, so points against the side that beat them in 2018 carried immediate value. Croatia arrived with a recent tournament record that gave the meeting extra edge, having finished third at the 2022 World Cup and reached the 2018 final, a record that underlined their ability to survive pressure on the biggest stage.

The wider context made the matchup feel less like an opener and more like an audit of England’s ambitions. Tuchel inherited a team with expectation, history and a qualification record that suggested momentum was already in place. Croatia, meanwhile, offered a reminder that control on paper does not always survive the decisive moments. In a rivalry shaped by one early free-kick, one equaliser and one late winner, the margins in Arlington looked as decisive as ever.