England will play a familiar foe in Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, as the 48-nation tournament began to take shape in Friday’s draw in Washington DC.
Croatia knocked out England from the 2018 World Cup at the semi-final stage. Now they will meet in the first game of Group L at the 2026 tournament, in a group which also contains Panama and Ghana.
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Thomas Tuchel’s side, who are among the favourites to win the competition next year, were placed in Pot 1 ahead of the draw alongside the three hosts – USA, Mexico and Canada – as well as the other top eight ranked nations.
If England win their group, because of their high ranking, they will not meet any of Argentina, Spain or France until the semi-finals at the earliest – assuming those sides also win their groups.
The exact dates for each fixture, their venue and the kick-off times will be confirmed at 5pm GMT on Saturday.
England’s World Cup fixtures
June 17: England v Croatia | BMO Field, Toronto or AT&T Stadium, Arlington
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June 23: England v Ghana | BMO Field, Toronto or Gillette Stadium, Foxborough
June 27: England v Panama | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford or Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia