England vs Croatia Prediction & Betting Tips - World Cup
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by Kennedy Kechula | in World Cup Predictions
England’s 2026 World Cup campaign is premised on one major target: ending 60 years of hurt. Their only title at this stage dates back to 1966, and the quest for a second starts off against Croatia in Group L. The Wednesday 17th June match will be staged at the 105,000-capacity AT&T Stadium. The Three Lions take on the same opponent that ended their race at Russia 2018 in the semi-finals.
After that extra-time defeat, though, England have reestablished their dominance in this fixture and are unbeaten in three meetings. In this shape, our prediction doesn’t really back Croatia to bounce back.
While Croatia hit England when it hurt most, Vatreni aren’t anywhere close to England’s pedigree in international football. Croatia have actually not beaten England in regular time in the last six meetings, losing four times in the process. England are making a 17th World Cup appearance, while Croatia arrive for their seventh. Croatia made their debut at France 1998 and have missed only one World Cup since then. Meanwhile, England have missed twice after debuting in 1950.
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England v Croatia Best Betting Odds
| Bookmaker | 1 | X | 2 | Bonus up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1.72 | 3.7 | 4.8 |
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1.75 | 3.88 | 5.07 |
|
|
1.71 | 3.8 | 4.84 |
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1.71 | 3.8 | 4.84 |
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|
1.73 | 3.8 | 4.75 |
|
What is the prediction for the football match between England and Croatia?
Our prediction for the England vs Croatia match is: England wins.
Probabilities according to our algorithm* of possible 1X2 football predictions and best odds for the match on 17/06/2026 between England and Croatia in World Cup :
- The Sportytrader ⭐ algorithm estimates a probability of 52.93% for a win of England against Croatia with odds of 1.76 at 888Starz.
- The probability according to Sportytrader ⭐ for a draw between England vs Croatia is 17.61% with odds of 3.89 at 888Starz.
- Our prediction model gives a 29.46% chance ⭐ for a win of Croatia vs England with odds of 5.35 at Betsson.
England vs Croatia Form
England and Croatia Last Matches
4/6 (67%)
1/6 (17%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
10 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
6 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
31 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
27 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
16 Nov 2025 - World Cup
13 Nov 2025 - World Cup
4/6 (67%)
1/6 (17%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
10 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
6 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
31 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
27 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
13 Nov 2025 - World Cup
9 Oct 2025 - International Friendlies
6/6 (100%)
0/6 (0%)
0/6 (0%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
16 Nov 2025 - World Cup
14 Oct 2025 - World Cup
9 Sept 2025 - World Cup
7 Jun 2025 - World Cup
14 Nov 2024 - UEFA Nations League
13 Oct 2024 - UEFA Nations League
4/6 (67%)
0/6 (0%)
2/6 (33%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
7 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
2 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
31 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
26 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
17 Nov 2025 - World Cup
14 Nov 2025 - World Cup
5/6 (83%)
0/6 (0%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
7 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
2 Jun 2026 - International Friendlies
26 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
14 Nov 2025 - World Cup
12 Oct 2025 - World Cup
8 Sept 2025 - World Cup
3/6 (50%)
1/6 (17%)
2/6 (33%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
31 Mar 2026 - International Friendlies
17 Nov 2025 - World Cup
9 Oct 2025 - World Cup
5 Sept 2025 - World Cup
6 Jun 2025 - World Cup
23 Mar 2025 - UEFA Nations League
England vs Croatia Stats: Head to Head (H2H)
50 %
25 %
25 %
Average stats (last H2H results)
13 Jun 2021 - Euro
18 Nov 2018 - UEFA Nations League
12 Oct 2018 - UEFA Nations League
11 Jul 2018 - World Cup
England - Croatia: Form Analysis
England will be playing their 75th World Cup match and second against Croatia in this competition. There will be revenge lined up here, but most importantly, England hope to continue with their rise under Thomas Tuchel. A 1-0 win against New Zealand and a 3-0 triumph over Costa Rica in friendly matches marked perfect preps for the Three Lions.
Tuchel will not want to judge his charges based on such results, as competitive action has brought better. England have won 11 straight non-friendly matches and have posted four wins in their last six games against Croatia. At the World Cup stage, they have won 32 of their 74 previous matches (22D, 20L).
Croatia have reached the semi-finals in half of their World Cup appearances.
Ranking 11th in the world, Croatia represents the toughest opponents for England, and they will look to make this count. A win here will be crucial to any ambitions of advancing past the group stages, and Croatia, three-time semi-finalists, have the quality for that. They had two warmup matches ahead of the competition, falling 2-0 to Belgium before bagging a 2-1 win against Slovenia.
Just from those two games, it is clear defence will be an area of concern for the Balkan nation. They’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six matches, and this will be a concern, facing a team that has the in-form Harry Kane. However, they take pride in only having failed to score once in seven outings.
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England vs Croatia last Lineups
Formation : 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Formation : 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Substitutes
D. Henderson
J. Trafford
DefenderD. Burn
D. Spence
M. Guehi
J. Quansah
T. Livramento
MidfielderE. Eze
J. Henderson
K. Mainoo
M. Rogers
ForwardB. Saka
I. Toney
O. Watkins
M. Rashford
I. Pandur
D. Kotarski
DefenderL. Vuskovic
D. Caleta-Car
K. Jakic
J. Sutalo
MidfielderM. Pasalic
T. Fruk
L. Sucic
M. Baturina
P. Sucic
N. Vlasic
N. Moro
ForwardI. Matanovic
P. Musa
England & Croatia Squad Analysis
For England, and maybe this game and the entire World Cup, the man to watch is Harry Kane. Almost hitting 33, the England captain is not showing any signs of slowing down. He is coming off a fantastic season with Bayern Munich, where he managed 61 goals in all club matches. This is the kind of form all England fans will be hoping for in North America.
The striker is also the Three Lions’ all-time leading scorer with 79 international strikes. While goals are guaranteed in a forward line led by Kane, it is felt that Tuchel might make a radical decision in defence. Reports indicate the German prefers the right-sided duo of Ezri Konsa and John Stones as the central pairing, leaving Marc Guehi out.
Harry Kane has one goal and an assist against Croatia from earlier meetings.
Unlike England, there weren’t many surprises in the Croatia squad named for the World Cup, as Zlatko Dalic picked his usual, battle-hardened generals. Top of that list is definitely skipper Luka Modric now of AC Milan.
At age 40, the midfielder remains an influential figure and leader in the team. Packing up in a midfield that also has Matteo Kovacic, Vatreni at times look impregnable. Meanwhile, the tried and tested Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric make for an incisive attack. Perisic had an assist and a goal in Croatia’s only meeting with England at the World Cup in 2018.
England - Croatia Key Points
- England are unbeaten in regular time against Croatia in six games.
- Croatia suffered defeat in two of their last three matches.
- England won their last 11 competitive matches.
- England won eight of their last 10 matches.
- Croatia lost their latest two matches against England.
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Our England vs Croatia Prediction
Both Croatia and England made it to the 2026 finals undefeated in the qualifiers. All that changes here for the two nations, Croatia sitting seven places below England in the world rankings. This marks the second time the two nations meet at a World Cup, and the stakes, as always, are high.
England will be out for revenge after their 2018 loss, but Croatia can be a hard nut to crack. While this may not be a very straightforward bet, England seem to have a slight edge, having won four of their last six meetings. They are also on 11 straight wins in competitive action, and our prediction for England v Croatia is that England wins.
England vs Croatia Alternative Predictions
BTTS
Only two clean sheets have come off the last seven meetings between these nations, and they belonged to England. With both teams having scored in five, we feel this trend will continue here as the two nations line up established forwards able to open up most defences in the world.
Croatia will carry defensive concerns, having conceded in each of their last six matches. They’ve scored in five of those matches, though, so they carry a threat equal to England. Our second prediction is for both teams to score.
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England vs Croatia - FAQs
The England v Croatia World Cup match will be played on Wednesday, 17th June, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
England and Croatia have met 11 times, with only the first two being friendly matches. England have won six times in this fixture, with Croatia winning three.
England and Croatia have met once in the World Cup, in 2018, as Croatia won 2-1 in extra time.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
