Overview
- England and Croatia are scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at AT&T Stadium — officially Estadio Dallas for the tournament — with FIFA naming French referee Clément Turpin to take charge of the game.
- Broadcasters and streamers across multiple markets will carry the match, with free-to-air and pay options such as FOX/Telemundo and ViX in the U.S., Canal 5/TUDN/Azteca and ViX in Mexico, and Telefe/TyC Sports and Disney+/Paramount+ in Argentina.
- Both federations submitted starting lineups to FIFA for the opener, but press reports published conflicting XIs: outlets confirmed England’s squad decisions including Cole Palmer’s omission and notes that Marcus Rashford may not start, while some sources disagree on whether Mateo Kovačić begins for Croatia.
- The game spotlights team leaders Harry Kane and Luka Modrić and carries recent history between the sides after Croatia beat England in the 2018 World Cup semifinal, a backdrop that adds tactical focus to Tuchel’s choices against Zlatko Dalić’s experienced midfield.
- Match control and VAR oversight are focal points because Turpin brings high-level experience and Jerome Brisard is listed for VAR, and the result will immediately affect Group L dynamics and the likely difficulty of each side’s path to the round of 16.