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.
Croatia are among the toughest opponents England could have expected and will be their opening match in Toronto or Dallas on 17 June. England faced Panama at the 2018 finals, beating them 6-1 in the group phase, while they have never faced Ghana before in a competitive match.
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, they would face a third-place team in Atlanta in the round of 32 on 1 July. Topping the group would also mean they do not meet any of fellow top-four seeds 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
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
Full World Cup draw
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, UEFA Playoff D
Group B: Canada, UEFA Playoff A, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, UEFA Playoff C
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, UEFA Playoff B, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, FIFA Playoff 2, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, FIFA Playoff 1, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
