Thomas Tuchel has reportedly made a number of major selection decisions ahead of England’s Group L opener against Croatia, with Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka expected to be left out.
Although the competition began nearly a week ago, England are still preparing to get their World Cup journey under way.
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The Three Lions comfortably overcame New Zealand and Costa Rica in their pre-tournament fixtures, recording 1-0 and 3-0 victories respectively, before cruising to a 6-0 win over Miami FC in a private friendly.
Their campaign finally begins on Wednesday (June 17) when they take on familiar rivals Croatia in what is expected to be a stern challenge.
England fans in Dallas 🏴 pic.twitter.com/HahAoIuXPB
— FootballAwaydays (@Awaydays23) June 17, 2026
England and Croatia have met in several memorable encounters over the years, including the 2018 World Cup semi-final, the Euro 2020 group stage, and the decisive Euro 2008 qualifying match that ended in a 3-2 loss for England and cost them a place at the tournament.
Croatia have enjoyed impressive success at recent World Cups, finishing as runners-up in 2018 before reaching the last four in 2022.
#OnThisDay in 2004, 18-year-old @WayneRooney introduced himself to the European stage with a stunning brace against Switzerland 😮💨pic.twitter.com/TI2z19bmHY
— England (@England) June 17, 2026
Zlatko Dalić’s squad features a host of experienced stars, including Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić and Mateo Kovačić.
Ahead of the match, BBC Sport reports that Marc Guéhi is likely to be dropped from the heart of defence, with Ezri Konsa tipped to line up alongside John Stones.
🚨 Referee Szymon Marciniak gave Argentina a penalty in the 2022 World Cup final.
Now he's spared Messi a red card.
An unbelievable decision from the referee.pic.twitter.com/OUrsAHuDQH https://t.co/whn9V0QwKM
— World Cup 2026 (@WorldCupMedia_) June 17, 2026
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail suggests Anthony Gordon is poised to start on the left flank ahead of Marcus Rashford, while Noni Madueke could be preferred to Arsenal colleague Bukayo Saka on the opposite wing after the latter’s recent fitness concerns.
Captain Harry Kane is expected to spearhead the attack, supported by Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice in midfield. Jude Bellingham is reportedly set to edge out Morgan Rogers for the attacking midfield position.
Nico O’Reilly and Reece James are both anticipated to start in the full-back roles, while Jordan Pickford is expected to retain his place between the posts.
Tuchel has already made several eye-catching decisions in naming his 26-man squad, with Premier League trio Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire omitted from the final selection.
Explaining those choices in May, he said: “I can assure every fan in the country that we have 26 one-hundred-per-cent committed players in camp with us who know their roles, who are ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch, and are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish.
“We have a huge chunk of youthfulness in the squad, with six players who have won titles at Under-21 level, and Kobbie [Mainoo], who has already won titles, and Nico O’Reilly, who is very young and has won his medals.
“We have specialists for all different kinds of scenarios, whether we are leading or chasing a result. We always want to be a strong set-piece team, so we have specialists for that, and we want to be a strong penalty team, so we have specialists for that.”
Following the Croatia encounter, England will face Ghana in Foxborough on June 23 before concluding their group-stage schedule against Panama in New Jersey on June 27.
