England ends 24-year wait with World Cup win over Croatia
England got off to a fantastic start at the 2026 World Cup as they won 4-2 against Croatia, chasing their second title 60 years after the first. Thomas Tuchel’s team faced a tough challenge from the European side, with the game tied 2-2 at halftime thanks to two goals from Harry Kane.
But in the second half, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford scored to secure all three points in their opening game, putting England in a great position to lead their group. Fans will be happy with the team’s performance and see this win as a stepping stone toward winning the World Cup.
For a long time, especially under Gareth Southgate, England struggled to beat the top teams in the world. They were knocked out by France in 2022 and lost to Croatia in the 2018 semifinals, with both those teams going on to lose in the final.
Southgate helped rebuild the team after tough losses in 2014 and 2016, and now Tuchel has taken it further by ending a 24-year struggle. This win could boost fans’ confidence that this might be England’s year.
Notably, this was England’s first World Cup win against a team ranked in FIFA’s top 15 (Croatia is 11th) since beating Argentina, ranked third, in 2002. That ended a nine-game winless streak and six straight losses against top teams in the finals.
While Croatia might not be as strong as they were eight years ago, they’re still a solid team. England deserves praise for this win, which should quiet some of the critics and show that they can beat the big teams on the World Cup stage.