England open 2026 World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas on June 17

Thomas Tuchel’s England squad will open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against Croatia in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, June 17, the first of three Group L fixtures that will determine whether they advance beyond the group stage.

The two sides are familiar adversaries on the international stage, having met in the final of Euro 2020 — a game England won 1-0 thanks to a Raheem Sterling goal — as well as in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, where Croatia prevailed 2-1 after extra time.

After the Dallas opener, England travel to Boston, Massachusetts, to face Ghana on June 23, before concluding their group-stage commitments against Panama in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 27.

Tuchel’s squad touched down at their World Cup base in Kansas on Saturday, putting the finishing touches to their tournament preparations ahead of the Croatia fixture.

The 1993 England home shirt — worn by Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer and David Platt during that year’s World Cup qualifying campaign — has become a popular retro item among supporters ahead of the tournament. England ultimately failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup held in the United States, making the shirt a bittersweet piece of Three Lions history.

Nike also recently unveiled a new retro-inspired England training top priced at £69.99, drawing on 1990s design influences including oversized branding and an all-over graphic print, as appetite for England merchandise builds ahead of the tournament.