England vs. Croatia World Cup Team News: Who should start for the Three Lions against Croatia?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing – and England finally get to join the party on Wednesday.

A total of 21 matches will already have been played by the time Thomas Tuchel’s men walk out at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington (3pm CDT / 9pm BST), as they prepare to face Croatia in Group L’s opening fixture.

There can be no complacency from the Three Lions, against a team with plenty of tournament pedigree and who have beaten their upcoming opponents at critical moments in the past.

After all, it was a 3-2 defeat against Croatia that saw Steve McClaren’s charges fail to reach Euro 2008, while the Vatreni progressed to the 2018 World Cup final at England’s expense after a 2-1 semi-final triumph in Moscow.

Some amends were made for that result when Raheem Sterling netted the game’s only goal in a Euro 2020 group stage meeting between the sides, but there can be little doubt about the threat that Zlatko Dalić’s outfit pose – despite their somewhat ageing squad.

The only questions remaining surround which players should make it into the starting XI for this key clash in Texas.

With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at the positions that are still up for debate, ahead of Tuchel naming his line-up tomorrow…

Defensive decisions

It is testament to Tuchel’s clarity of thought that there is almost no debate around over half the positions in his typical 4-2-3-1 formation.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford looks set to add to his impressive tally of 84 caps, with Reece James and Nico O'Reilly appearing nailed on for the full-back berths.

The midfield duo of Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson are similarly set in stone, while Harry Kane is surely certain to lead the line after a sublime 61-goal season with Bayern Munich.

There is a little more uncertainty around the centre-back positions, though, following the decision to start Ezri Konsa over Marc Guéhi in the team’s final warm-up friendly against Costa Rica.

He featured on the right of a pairing with John Stones in that game, despite Guéhi being a more natural fit as the left-sided centre-back – operating there for all but 153 of his 3,480 league minutes for Crystal Palace and Manchester City last season.

Reports suggest that Tuchel may prefer the physicality of Konsa and Stones over Guéhi’s slightly less combative approach, which makes some sense with six foot-plus Ante Budimir and Ivan Perišić set to start in attacking roles for Croatia.

However, it would disrupt the rearguard’s balance to a degree – not to mention being somewhat harsh on Guéhi, who has been a mainstay for both club and country in recent years.

In contrast, Stones has played just 18 matches for Manchester City across all competitions in 2025/26, though looks to have proven his fitness in the friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica.

Ultimately it is likely to be a case of ‘horses for courses’ for Tuchel. This is a long tournament against varying opponents and different profiles of defenders may be needed throughout the summer.

Though the German tactician clearly values Stones’ years of experience in his backline, Konsa and Guéhi could both represent effective partners depending on the occasion.

Rogers and Bellingham battle for inclusion

There are echoes of the aforementioned defensive debate when it comes to the battle for England’s central attacking midfield berth.

On the one hand you have Morgan Rogers, who has enjoyed an impressive season for Aston Villa and consistently looked a good fit in Tuchel’s system for England.

But on the other is Jude Bellingham’s undoubted star quality, which came to the fore against New Zealand and Costa Rica.

There’s a little more nuance to the decision facing Tuchel, though.

On the surface it appears prudent to opt for Rogers, who has typically stepped up to the plate for England and is coming off the back of a campaign that saw him register 25 goal contributions (14 goals and 11 assists) at club level – winning the Europa League in the process.

Bellingham’s campaign has been injury-disrupted by comparison, failing to hit double figures across all competitions for Real Madrid and having less of an impact for the Three Lions.

The 22-year-old’s 107 days out with injuries in 2025/26 could end up being a blessing in disguise for England, however.

Unlike most top players coming off a long, arduous season, Bellingham looked remarkably fresh in this summer’s warm-up matches and finally appeared fully comfortable in Tuchel’s set-up.

Could that result in the best of Madrid’s No.5 being on display in the United States, Mexico and Canada this summer?

It certainly feels worth investigating, such is Bellingham’s game-changing skill set – as we witnessed en route to the Euro 2024 final two summers ago.

Dilemmas out wide

Uncertainty surrounds each of England’s wide berths on the eve of their tournament bow, but for entirely different reasons.

Things are more straightforward on the right flank, where Bukayo Saka is likely to start if he can shake off a long-running Achilles issue in time for Wednesday’s fixture.

The signs are positive based on the Arsenal star’s pre-match press conference appearance, when he stated:

“I don't want to say anything that goes against the manager.

“What I would say is that between Mikel [Arteta] and the Arsenal medical team and Thomas [Tuchel] and the England medical team, since March they have managed me amazingly and helped me get back on the pitch and do what I can for the team.

“I'm feeling better than I have felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go.”

There is an argument to be made that Noni Madueke – the man tasked with standing in for Saka in his absence – could actually be a better option, with his ability to run in behind and feed off Kane when the centre-forward drops into deeper positions.

But considering Saka’s undoubted quality and record of delivering the goods for England, it would be highly surprising if he wasn’t named in the starting XI if fit enough to play.

It is less clear-cut on the left flank, with little to separate Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon in their manager’s thinking.

Rashford is coming off the back of a more productive season output-wise, if we compare the two wingers’ respective league numbers.

The Barcelona loanee chipped in with eight La Liga goals and seven assists, which bettered Gordon’s return of just six goals and two assists after featuring for a similar number of minutes (1,761 vs 1,814).

But Newcastle’s former No.10 – now himself heading to Barcelona – has arguably been playing in a stronger league and in a weaker team than Rashford, relative to the division.

He’s also excelled at Champions League level, registering an eye-catching ten goals and two assists – almost double the overall return of his rival for a starting berth (five goals and three assists).

When you add in Gordon’s lively performance featuring a goal and an assist against Costa Rica last week, it feels as though the 19-cap international has edged ahead in Tuchel’s pecking order.

All will be revealed on Wednesday, of course, but the debate around England’s starting XI only goes to highlight how much strength in depth the Three Lions possess in their squad.

Now it is time for them to deliver on the biggest stage, starting with tomorrow’s clash with Croatia.