England against Croatia: Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup opener today live on free TV

Difficult opponent to start with

Here you can watch England’s start to the World Cup live on free TV

A strong opponent awaits at the start of the World Cup: Croatia on England. t-online provides an overview of where you can follow the duel live.

England will face Croatia in Group L on the first matchday of the 2026 World Cup. The “Three Lions” are making their next attempt to win their first World Cup title in 50 years. With a talented team around goalscorer Harry Kane from FC Bayern and coach Thomas Tuchel, the dry spell should finally end this year. The expectations are correspondingly high.

But Croatia is also traveling to North America with great ambitions. The 2018 runner-up still has enormous quality in his squad. The focus is on Luka Modrić: The now 40-year-old captain is playing his last major tournament – and can even reach the mark of 200 international matches.

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The game between England and Croatia will be broadcast live on ZDF on Wednesday, June 17th. Kick-off at the Dallas Stadium is at 10 p.m. German time.

MagentaTV also shows the game live. However, you need a paid subscription for this.

Yes. t-online offers a live ticker for all games in the 2026 World Cup. You can also watch the game between England and Croatia in real time there. Click here for an overview.

Further information about the game can be found on t-online on the match day.