England v Croatia LIVE: Team news as Thomas Tuchel faces Bukayo Saka decision before World Cup 2026 campaign begins

Star player – Harry Kane, Bayern Munich: Appears to be in the form of his life at the age of 32 and is right in the Ballon d’Or hunt after scoring a staggering 61 goals for Bayern Munich in all competitions and helping them to a domestic double. His goalscoring and ability to drop deep to link up play make him the key to this England side.

Breakout talent – Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City: A breakout campaign at club level that saw Man City fans vote the 21-year-old as their player of the season, O’Reilly racked up a phenomenal nine goals and six assists while playing mostly at left-back. A classy ball-player, he looks set to start at full-back for Tuchel’s side but is also an option in midfield if required.

At Arsenal Bukayo Saka is the No.1 choice at right wing ahead of teammate Noni Madueke.

They same is true with the duo both selected for England but Saka’s niggling injuries may mean Thomas Tuchel punts for his understudy instead.

“It’s quite unique, two players that play in the same position to be as close as we are,” Saka said.

“I don’t really know how it works, but it works. Noni is like my brother on and off the pitch. We push each other and we speak every day.

“We have that mutual respect for each other and we want each other to do well. The good thing is that we play on the same team and that if one of us is doing well it is good for the other.”

It’s now 60 years since England’s lone World Cup success – an accomplishment that is becoming increasingly irrelevant given that those who remember it are now all of retirement age and 1966 is closer to the sinking of the Titanic than to today.

More pertinent is England’s recent World Cup record, with semi-final and quarter-final defeats at the last two editions (plus runner-up finishes at each of the past two Euros) meaning Thomas Tuchel is the man tasked with completing the work that Gareth Southgate started. Can a German finally end English football’s six decades of hurt?

In Harry Kane, Tuchel has Europe’s most prolific striker over the past 12 months, plus plenty more quality woven throughout the team. Yet, despite an impeccable qualifying record that saw them win all eight games without conceding a single goal, there is a nagging feeling that the Three Lions are just a slight level below the very best sides in the world, such as Spain and France, and that they might wilt in the North American heat. Only time will tell.

Bukayo Saka’s injury issues are a lingering doubt for Thomas Tuchel but the Arsenal winger says he is ‘ready to go’ ahead of the World Cup opener against Croatia.

“As players, it’s the biggest gamble, especially if you’re not feeling your sharpest,” said Saka.

“You have the choice whether you don’t play or you put yourself out there knowing people are going to judge you the same.

“I’m happy to take the gamble. It paid off, I’d say. I’m going to continue doing that. At the end of the day, people don’t really care how you’re feeling, they expect you to deliver. But I am feeling a lot better than I did in March and I’m ready to go.

“The main focus right now is winning the World Cup. And being my best version of myself for the team.”

17 June, 9pm: England v Croatia – AT&T Stadium, Arlington

23 June, 9pm: England v Ghana – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough

27 June, 10pm: Panama v England – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Two-and-a-half hours until kick-off in Dallas as England are set to open their 2026 World Cup campaign at the AT&T Stadium.

There’s plenty of expectation around Thomas Tuchel’s side, though there’s some trepidation as well as fans prepare to see a full-strength starting XI in a tournament match for the first time under the German.

Croatia will provide stern opposition this evening, though England will be the favourites.

In terms of England’s tactical approach much of the build-up to the first game has been concerned with who will start as the No.10.

Jude Bellingham is seemingly being given the nod ahead of Morgan Rogers but we will not know for certain until the team news drops later.

The Real Madrid star is expected to have Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest alongside him in midfield.

The French official once riled Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel three years ago during his time as Bayern Munich boss.

So much so that Tuchel branded Turpin “Grade E” after receiving two yellow cards in the German club’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City in 2023.

England’s first match of the 2026 World Cup takes place at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, near Dallas.

Around 15,000 fans are expected to watch from the stadium and plenty have made their way to the ground already with kick off just under three hours away.

The big news from yesterday – and perhaps the biggest of the World Cup so far on the pitch – came from a familiar face in a 3-0 win for defending champions Argentina…

The journey took him from Gelsenkirchen to Kansas City. It began as an 18-year-old and reached a new level as a 38-year-old. Argentina’s youngest World Cup scorer is also their oldest. He is also, inimitably, Lionel Messi.

Messi’s first World Cup ended in a game in which Miroslav Klose scored one of his 16 World Cup goals; Messi was an unused substitute when Germany knocked out Argentina in 2006. Perhaps revenge came two decades on. Messi drew level with Klose at the top of the all-time standings with his treble against Algeria.

Klose had resigned himself to his fate, anyway. Messi will go past him, Kylian Mbappe surely, too. “The record will be broken eventually,” the German said last week. “Messi is welcome to do it. I’m a huge Messi fan, always have been.”