Title-contenders England, the 1966 world champions, kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign today with a 4-2 victory over Croatia—third-place finishers in 1998 and 2022, and runners-up in 2018—in Arlington, United States.
In the opening match of Group L, which was deadlocked at 2-2 by halftime, Harry Kane found the net in the 12th and 42nd minutes, with his first coming from the penalty spot.
Jude Bellingham then extended the lead for the Three Lions in the 47th minute, followed by a final strike from Marcus Rashford in the 85th minute to seal the win.
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Meanwhile, Martin Baturina in the 36th minute and former Benfica forward Petar Musa deep into first-half stoppage time (45+5) provided the goals for the Croatian side.
The English squad now provisionally leads the group standings with three points.
