World Cup 2026: England's predicted starting XI vs Croatia

Ladbrokes predicts England starting XI vs Croatia

GK - Jordan Pickford

One of the easier predictions to make as we can't see a world where Jordan Pickford isn't the man starting in goal for England against Croatia on June 17.

The Everton shot-stopper has been incredibly reliable for his country, picking up 84 caps en route to this summer's tournament. Pickford has been part of England sides that have gone deep at major tournaments over the last few years, and he will be hoping his appearance tally is 92 by the time he leaves North America next month.

RB - Reece James

A man that Tuchel knows well from his time at Chelsea, many pundits are of the belief that England's chances at this summer's tournament actually lie at the feet of Reece James.

James is a world-class right-back on his day, and recent performances for Chelsea and England appear to show that he's near his best from a fitness perspective.

If England are to go far at the World Cup, James is going to have to be at his very best from both an attacking and defensive perspective, and that's why we have him starting at right-back.

CB - John Stones

Heading into the tournament, many commentators and fans were of the belief that John Stones would have to settle for a spot on the bench at the World Cup this summer.

However, that doesn't appear as if it's going to be the case.

Stones started both of England's pre-tournament friendly matches, and chatter from respected journalists ahead of the opening game appears to suggest that the Man City treble winner is going to start at the back.

Injuries have meant that Stones has struggled for minutes over the last two years at City, but Tuchel clearly values the defender's leadership, ability to dribble the ball out from the back, and his knack for scoring set-pieces.

CB - Ezri Konsa

The first major surprise of the England XI isn't the inclusion of Stones, but rather the exclusion of his Man City team-mate Marc Guehi.

The former Crystal Palace captain was a key figure in England's Euro 2024 campaign, and since then has won the FA Cup and Community Shield with Palace, before adding the FA Cup with Man City last month.

All signs pointed towards Guehi starting at the World Cup, but it seems like Tuchel is going to have Ezri Konsa play alongside Stones, at least for the match against Croatia on Wednesday.

Sami Mokbel of the BBC has said:

[Sources have indicated] that the team that started in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica will be close to the team that Tuchel picks against Croatia. Indeed, if that is the case, it appears that John Stones and Ezri Konsa will start the World Cup as England's first-choice central defensive pairing. That would come as a shock to many given the widely held view that Marc Guehi was the team's first-choice centre-back.

Konsa is a top player in his own right, possessing the recovery pace and on-ball ability to play at the top level, so England will be in good hands with him and Stones at the back.

LB - Nico O'Reilly

Nico O'Reilly has been a revelation since breaking into the Man City team this season, establishing himself as one of the country's most exciting defenders.

A fantastic threat in both boxes, O'Reilly is a shoo-in to start for England at the World Cup this summer, particularly with his deputies Djed Spence and Tino Livramento both being right-footed.

Even with team-mate Marc Guehi, who he usually plays next to, set to miss out, it seems as if Tuchel is going to be starting with the youngster on the left this week.

CM - Elliot Anderson

This is a huge tournament for Elliot Anderson. During Euro 2024, Anderson moved from Newcastle to Nottingham Forest, and just two years later, Anderson is believed to be preparing for a move to multi-time Premier League winners Man City.

That's not all, as City actually had a bid worth £120m rejected for Anderson before the tournament had even started, with Forest clearly thinking the midfielder's value could yet rise with good performances at the World Cup.

There's good reason for them to think that too, with Anderson a shoe-in to start as one of England's two deeper midfielders against Croatia. The former Newcastle man appears to be the number 6 that England have lacked over the last few years, possessing the work rate and positional intelligence to play in a deeper role for a nation that will see a lot of the ball.

CM - Declan Rice

Rice is one of the best players in the world right now and, had it not been for Bruno Fernandes, many believe he could have won the 2025/26 PFA Player of the Season award.

Declan Rice has been one of Arsenal's key men over the last few years, and he will be one of the main reasons England can go into this summer's tournament feeling confident.

Tuchel wanted to bring Rice to Chelsea from West Ham several years ago, clearly valuing the player's skills, and we can't see him not starting all big games for his country at the World Cup.

LW - Anthony Gordon

He may not have had a good game against New Zealand, but the Daily Mail's Craig Hope has indicated that Anthony Gordon will be the man picked to start on the left-wing for England against Croatia.

Anthony Gordon in line to get nod for Croatia opener, but Tuchel sees value in him & Marcus Rashford over 90 minutes

Tuchel appears to see the merits in both Marcus Rashford and Gordon, but signs seem to point towards the former Newcastle man being the player selected to start England's opener.

There's no word on if Rashford will start future games, but Gordon's ability to hold the width, allowing O'Reilly to attack the box, appears to be in Tuchel's thinking against Croatia.

CAM - Jude Bellingham

Towards the end of the season, some had speculated that Tuchel would pick Morgan Rogers over Jude Bellingham to start at the World Cup this summer.

Bellingham suffered last season with poor form, a disjointed Real Madrid side, and injuries. That meant that Rogers played a lot more heading into the World Cup under Tuchel than Bellingham had.

However, Bellingham played at the ten in both of England's warm-up games this month, and it appears as if he's going to start as the attacking midfielder for the Three Lions this week.

All chatter from Tuchel about starting Rogers appears to have been a motivation tool, with the German clearly seeing Bellingham as one of the best players in the world, which he is.

RW - Noni Madueke

Bukayo Saka seems to be struggling to be fully match fit for the start of the World Cup, freeing up a spot on the right wing for England.

While Morgan Rogers could technically play there, we think there's a decent chance that Tuchel goes for a like-for-like replacement in Noni Madueke.

There's a reason that Tuchel picked Madueke, and a lot of that is probably down to the fact that the Arsenal winger plays in a similar way to Saka in the sense that he's a left-footed right-winger who likes to cut inside to create and score.

Tuchel could go for someone else in this role, but the smart money appears to be on Madueke to be the man selected.

ST - Harry Kane

We kicked off this prediction article with an easy pick in Pickford, and we do end it with an even easier one in Harry Kane.

Need we say any more?

Kane is England's captain and record goal scorer, something will have had to go drastically wrong for him not to start against Croatia on Wednesday.

For those interested, Ladbrokes have a more in-depth match preview for England vs Croatia on June 17, including our bet builder tip for the Three Lions' opener.

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All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.

View the latest World Cup 2026 odds.