England vs Croatia Prediction 6/17/2026 Group L Picks

In this article we will formulate an England vs Croatia prediction for this World Cup game on Wednesday, June 17th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this World Cup matchup.

England Betting Preview

England comes into the World Cup ranked 4th in the latest official FIFA rankings and they are coming off of a 3-0 win over Costa Rica in their last match. In that win, England led 1-0 at halftime and added two more goals in the 68th and 87th minute to seal the win. England recorded 29 total shots, nine shots on target, and had 81% of the possession. England has played three other friendlies this year: a 1-0 win over New Zealand, a 1-0 loss to Japan, and a 1-1 draw with Uruguay. 

England has qualified for 16 World Cups in their history and they won the championship in 1966. England has made each of the last seven World Cups and they have advanced out of the Group Stage in six of them. In 2022, England defeated Iran 6-2, drew USA 0-0, and defeated Wales 3-0 in the Group Stage, before beating Senegal and losing to France. In qualification, England finished first in their group with 24 points, which was ahead of Albania, Serbia, Latvia, and Andorra. 

Croatia Betting Preview

Croatia comes into the World Cup ranked 11th in the latest official FIFA rankings and they are coming off of a 2-1 win over Slovenia in their last match. In that win, Croatia was tied 0-0 at halftime and 1-1 late in the match, but they scored in the third minute of stoppage time for the victory. Croatia recorded 22 total shots, six shots on target, and had 67% of the possession. Croatia has played three other friendlies this year: a 2-0 loss to Belgium, a 3-1 loss to Brazil, and a 2-1 win over Colombia. 

Croatia has qualified for six World Cups and they have two 3rd place finishes and one 2nd place finish. Croatia has made each of the last three World Cups and they have finished third and second in the last two. In 2022, Croatia drew Morocco 0-0, defeated Canada 4-1, and drew Belgium 0-0 in the Group Stage, before beating Japan, beating Brazil, losing to Argentina, and beating Morocco for third. In qualification, Croatia finished first in their group with 22 points, which was ahead of Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, and Gibraltar. 

England vs Croatia Prediction 

England comes into this tournament as the fourth ranked team in FIFA, but they haven’t been great in the four games since they qualified. England has scored one goal or fewer in three of their last four matches, but they do have the more talented team. Croatia has lost two of their last three matches, but those two came against Belgium and Brazil, which is understandable. This should be an entertaining match, but I do think England starts with a much needed victory, as I am not confident in the Croatia attack.

David Racey's Pick: England ML