England thrash Croatia 4-2 as FIFA clarifies ticketing claims and drone 'spying' row hits World Cup

England launched their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in their Group L opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, recovering from a shaky first half to dominate after the break and signal genuine intent in the tournament.

Despite Croatia equalising twice before half-time, Thomas Tuchel’s side turned the game around with a commanding second-half display. Tuchel delivered a rousing dressing room speech at the interval, challenging his players to raise their intensity and play with greater freedom. Jude Bellingham responded emphatically, scoring England’s crucial third goal shortly after the restart. Speaking after the match, Bellingham said he plays with a “chip on his shoulder” and described the goal as the perfect way to silence his critics.

Assistant coach Anthony Barry had not minced his words about the first-half display, calling it “complicated and confusing,” but the turnaround vindicated Tuchel’s approach. Former striker Ian Wright, who had visited England’s pre-tournament training base, praised the unity Tuchel has fostered within the squad, describing the group as unusually cohesive and responsive to his club-style management.

Off the pitch, FIFA were drawn into a ticketing controversy after reports emerged that large numbers of England supporters had bypassed security barriers at AT&T Stadium and entered without valid tickets for the Croatia match. A FIFA spokesperson stated that the governing body currently has no official indication or evidence of any supporters gaining entry without a valid match ticket. The game recorded an official attendance of 70,389, just short of the venue’s maximum capacity of 70,649. High ticket prices have been a persistent grievance among supporters, though FIFA had previously committed to making 10 per cent of England’s travel scheme allocations available at 60 US dollars following significant backlash.

Elsewhere, a separate incident cast a shadow over South Korea’s preparations in Guadalajara, where the Mexican military deployed signal-blocking radio waves to bring down an unregistered drone flying near the team’s closed training base. Local security officials rushed to the crash site, but two foreign men suspected of operating the drone retrieved the device and fled before authorities arrived. South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo described the incident as highly unfortunate but assured supporters it had not significantly disrupted his side’s tactical preparations ahead of their tournament opener.