Tuchel to name first England World Cup team against Croatia

Thomas Tuchel’s first England World Cup team will be judged against Croatia, a side that already denied England in the 2018 semi-final and now stands in the way at the start of another tournament campaign. England open Group L on Wednesday 17 June 2026 at 9pm BST at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with Tuchel facing the sort of selection call that can define a manager’s entire World Cup. The stakes are sharper because the Football Association appointed him with one aim in mind: winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Tuchel was appointed England men’s senior head coach on 16 October 2024 and began work on 1 January 2025, giving him only a limited runway before the tournament begins in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Anthony Barry is part of his backroom team, and the structure around him was built to support a direct route to the title rather than a gradual reset. That matters because the opening game against Croatia is not just a group fixture against one of England’s toughest opponents, it is the first real test of how Tuchel intends to balance pragmatism with expectation.

England were drawn in Group L with Croatia, Ghana and Panama, which means there is little room for a slow start. Croatia remain the most immediate reference point because England and Croatia are meeting at the World Cup for only the second time. Their last World Cup meeting ended in a 2-1 Croatia win after extra-time in the 2018 semi-final, and this will be the fourth England-Croatia match at a major tournament this century. For Tuchel, that history adds pressure to every tactical choice, from how much experience he leans on to how much he is willing to trust a fresher, more functional XI.

That tension between proven names and tournament logic is central to what comes next. England fans will expect a team that looks ready to impose itself, but Tuchel’s opening selection will also signal whether he sees the competition as a stage for reputation or as a problem to be solved game by game. With Croatia first, and with a group that also includes Ghana and Panama, England’s manager is not just naming a line-up. He is setting the tone for the entire campaign.