Where to watch England v Croatia: TV channel and free live stream for World Cup opener

Thomas Tuchel’s England kick off their World Cup bid with a can’t-miss clash against Croatia next week.

Two of Europe’s heavyweights have been drawn in Group L, setting up a tough opening fixture for the Three Lions.

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England will be dreaming of ending a 60-year wait for glory, but stumbling against the experienced sides has often caused heartbreak.

The two nations have met 11 times in history with England victorious in six, drawing two and losing three, with the upcoming clash being their fourth in a major tournament.

Tuchel’s men drifted through their qualifying stage, remaining flawless without conceding a single goal.

Meanwhile, Croatia begin their challenge for the Jules Rimet, completing one last dance with their legendary captain Luka Modric.

How to follow England v Croatia

The Group L opening match will be held on Wednesday, June 17 and will kick off at the Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas – home of the Dallas Cowboys.

England’s opener is set to take place at 8pm BST (3pm local time).

The match is free to watch, with coverage split between BBC One and ITV 1, alongside their respective streaming platforms BBC iPlayer and ITVX.

talkSPORT will also have live commentary of the game starting from 7pm, presented by Adrian Durham, alongside commentators Jim Proudfoot and Stuart Pearce.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

talkSPORT.com will be running a dedicated live blog too.

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England v Croatia: Squads

England

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City)

Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona, loan from Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

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Croatia

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City).

Defenders: Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Caleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Sutalo (Ajax Amsterdam), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongracic (Fiorentina), Martin Erlic (Midtjylland), Luka Vuskovic (Hamburg).

Midfielders: Luka Modric (AC Milan), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Luka Sucic (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakic (Augsburg), Petar Sucic (Inter Milan), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka).

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanovic (Freiburg).

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England V Croatia: What has been said?

Ahead of the Three Lions’ first match, Jude Bellingham revealed how the squad was not as connected throughout their 2024 Euro campaign and felt like a scapegoat for the team when they failed to win against Spain in the final.

He said: “At the Euros we got some things a little bit wrong off the pitch. I don’t feel like the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons. 

“Expectation was part of it – we had done well in 2018 and done well in Qatar [for the 2022 World Cup] and when it came to that tournament we were seen as one of two or three teams that should win it.

“We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn’t get the feeling you were as happy as you should be.

“There has to be that element of relentless and wanting to win but it is the nature of football that wins go out of the system quickly and we should hold on to that moment a little more.

“I think this time round having those experiences… and knowing, for example, that the guy who scores the winning goal in the World Cup final isn’t always the one you’d bet your house on so you’ve always got to be ready, everyone’s got to feel loved and feel a huge part of the team. 

“The other thing is just to enjoy it.”

Croatia’s manager Zlatko Dalic believes the opening clash is pivotal for their chances of reaching the knockout phase this summer and would have preferred an easier first game.

He said: “At Euro 2024 we lost 3-0 to Spain in the first game and we fell down, couldn’t come back. But in the past we’ve beaten Nigeria [in 2018] and drawn with Morocco [in 2022].

“We can’t choose anything else now. The first game is the most important game. Against England we’ll fight, try to do our best and try to win.“