England opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Croatia in a six-goal thriller at Dallas Stadium.
Harry Kane scored twice, Jude Bellingham added another shortly after halftime, and substitute Marcus Rashford wrapped up the win late on as England overcame a spirited Croatian performance. Martin Baturina and Petar Musa both found the net for Croatia, but the Three Lions had too much quality in the decisive moments.
The victory sends England to the top of Group L alongside Ghana after the opening round of matches.
Kane gives England an early lead
England started brightly and were rewarded after VAR awarded them an early penalty.
Harry Kane stepped up in the 12th minute and calmly converted from the spot to hand Thomas Tuchel’s side a 1-0 advantage.
Croatia responded positively and gradually worked their way back into the contest.
Croatia fight back before halftime
Martin Baturina produced a stunning strike from distance in the 36th minute to level the score at 1-1 after good work from Petar Sučić.
England restored their advantage six minutes later when Declan Rice supplied Harry Kane for his second goal of the evening, making it 2-1.
The drama was far from over before halftime, as Ivan Perišić delivered for Petar Musa, who equalized deep into first-half stoppage time to send the teams into the break level at 2-2.
Bellingham swings momentum
England regained control almost immediately after the restart.
Just two minutes into the second half, Elliot Anderson found Jude Bellingham, who fired England back in front with a composed finish to make it 3-2.
Croatia pushed for another equalizer, introducing fresh attacking options including Andrej Kramarić and Igor Matanović, but England’s defense held firm.
Rashford seals the victory
Thomas Tuchel refreshed his side with the introductions of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers midway through the second half.
The changes paid off as Rashford put the game beyond Croatia in the 85th minute, scoring England’s fourth goal to secure all three points.
England finished strongly and comfortably saw out the closing minutes to begin their World Cup campaign with an impressive victory.
Match Statistics
England enjoyed slightly more possession and created significantly more chances throughout the match.
- England shots: 20
- Croatia shots: 11
- England shots on target: 12
- Croatia shots on target: 5
- Possession: England 54%, Croatia 46%
- Pass accuracy: England 88%, Croatia 87%
England’s attacking efficiency proved the difference as they converted four of their 12 shots on target.
Group L standings
England move to the top of Group L after Matchday 1, level on points with Ghana.
Group L standings:
- England – 3 pts (+2)
- Ghana – 3 pts (+1)
- Panama – 0 pts (-1)
- Croatia – 0 pts (-2)
England now carry early momentum into their second group match, while Croatia face immediate pressure to revive their qualification hopes.
