World Cup 2026: England v Croatia

England’s 2026 World Cup opener against Croatia, screened in our King’s Cross basement venue on the big screen. Air conditioned, theatre style seating, proper sound system, cold pints from the bar upstairs. As the teams prepare to clash, the spotlight is on the much-anticipated England v Croatia match, reigniting the rivalry from previous tournaments.

A rematch eight years in the making. Croatia beat England 2 to 1 after extra time in the 2018 World Cup semi final in Moscow, and several of that squad are still here. The two sides have met three times since then, in two Nations League games in 2018 (a 0 to 0 draw in Rijeka and a 2 to 1 England win at Wembley) and at Euro 2020, where England won 1 to 0 at Wembley with a Raheem Sterling goal. But this is their first World Cup meeting since that night in Moscow. Luka Modrić, now 40, captains his fifth World Cup, with 2018 veterans Perišić, Kovačić and Kramarić still alongside him. Add Manchester City’s Joško Gvardiol at the back, and you’ve got a Croatia side that went through qualifying unbeaten and finished bronze medallists in 2022.

England arrive under Thomas Tuchel for his first World Cup as manager, with Harry Kane captaining his third tournament (equalling Billy Wright’s record). The squad is built around Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice, with nine tournament debutants getting their first taste of a World Cup. The omissions of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold have made this one of the most debated England squads in years. This World Cup is pivotal as they aim to overcome the challenges posed by Croatia in the England v Croatia encounter.

A serious opening match, in other words. The kind worth watching properly rather than craning over shoulders in a packed sports bar.

How it works

The Harrison basement is set up as a screening room for England matches — around 50 theatre-style seats, big screen, Air-conditioning means it’s comfortable even on a 30°C June evening. Food can be ordered from the main pub menu upstairs and brought down.

Booking is recommended — England games fill up fast.

Match details

– Kick-off: 9pm UK time (BST)
– Venue: Dallas Stadium, Arlington, Texas
– TV: ITV
– Group: L (with Ghana and Panama)

Source: The Harrison website