England vs Croatia: Sky Sports writers pick their Three Lions starting XIs for 2026 World Cup opener in Texas

England finally kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign against Croatia at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Wednesday and the Sky Sports writers have been busy selecting their starting line-ups for that opening Group L clash.

Sky Sports' News senior reporter Rob Dorsett has analysed all the big selection dilemmas facing Thomas Tuchel, with the England boss still having some final calls to make around key positions in midfield, on both wings, and at the heart of the defence.

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The biggest area of contention has been around his first-choice No 10, with Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers battling for the shirt.

Meanwhile, England's final friendly against Costa Rica saw Noni Madueke start on the right, with Bukayo Saka managing his minutes. Since then, the Arsenal forward has been adamant that he is fit and ready to play, but he also said he wouldn't go against what the head coach has said, that he is not ready to play a full 90 minutes.

Elsewhere, on the left wing, it is clear that Anthony Gordon has made huge strides forward in his battle with Marcus Rashford.

However, in and around the camp, all the talk is about how the Man Utd forward looks to be in the best physical shape, the most impressive form in training, and the most positive mindset anyone has seen for many years.

Perhaps the biggest area of contention though is at centre back, where the assumption for some time has been that Marc Guehi is a nailed-on starter, with either John Stones or Ezri Konsa alongside him. Now, things don't look so certain after Tuchel partnered Konsa and Stones together against Costa Rica.

So considering all these selection issues, these are the starting line-ups our writers have gone with for England's encounter with Croatia in Texas:

If Tuchel needs athletes, he needs Bellingham

A lot has been said about the conditions the players will be forced to play in at this World Cup. Less talk about footballers, more about athletes. If that's at the forefront of Tuchel's mind, he needs to play Jude Bellingham.

While both he and Rogers have quality on the ball, Bellingham's ability to get up and down the pitch off it needs to be factored in against a technically savvy Croatia midfield.

Gordon's performance against Costa Rica gives him the nod over Marcus Rashford on the left. The other point of contention is at centre-back.

While I think Tuchel would want to start Stones next to Guehi, he needs more time to get up to speed. Konsa should be the man partnering Guehi.
Callum Bishop

Stones has barely put a foot wrong for England

Stones is the calm presence England need to command a backline with less major tournament experience than is desirable. Partnered with Man City team-mate Guehi, Tuchel can at least be assured of balance in and out of possession.

The defensive department is the area that worries me most in terms of England's chances of going deep in the competition, and a solid partnership needs to be built from the off. I see no better pairing than the City duo.

They've got familiarity and therefore stability. If you add Nico O'Reilly to the equation at left-back, that actually makes a City trio. And if it's good enough for Pep Guardiola, it's good enough for me.

Elsewhere, Gordon has made a late but convincing bid for a starting shirt after his display against Costa Rica. I had my heart set on Rashford because of his superior end product but I'm willing to take a chance on a guy that is clearly buoyed by being Barcelona's latest marquee signing.
Laura Hunter

Stones-Guehi partnership key for England

There really are very few England selection dilemmas heading into Wednesday night's World Cup opener with Croatia, the sign of a well-oiled football team, with really only the battle to be the starting centre backs, as well as who gets the nod in the No 10 role and on the left-hand side of the attack, up for debate.

Stones, 32, has proved his fitness in the pre-tournament friendlies with New Zealand and Costa Rica and so starts alongside his one-time Man City team-mate Guehi in the heart of England's back line on his 93rd appearance for his country.

Further forward, it will be Real Madrid playmaker Bellingham in the 'hole' behind skipper Harry Kane, for the opening Group L clash in Texas at least, while Gordon's effervescent display in the final warm-up game when Barcelona's new signing laid on the opener for Declan Rice, before confidently smashing home a second-half penalty, sees him just edge out Rashford on the left of the front three.
Rich Morgan

Gordon over Rashford - but for how long?

Gordon was the winner of the pre-season friendlies. His near-perfect turn against Costa Rica will likely see him be rewarded with a start against Croatia over Rashford.

How long that lasts, however, remains to be seen. Gordon and Kane have struggled playing together at international level in the past with few goal returns, while Rashford has a well-worked shorthand with the Three Lions skipper.

Gordon's future starts will hinge on how well he can feed Kane, as well as his own contributions, with a number of players snapping at his heels to take over if he doesn't succeed.

At centre-back, I'd plump for Konsa over Stones to partner Guehi. The Aston Villa defender has significantly more game time under his belt, although Stones is the experienced head at international level.

He picked up vital minutes in the pre-tournament friendlies, but questions will remain over his fitness and how he might handle a lengthy tournament in testing conditions. Konsa is the safer choice.
Charlotte Marsh

Two key questions for Tuchel to weigh up for World Cup opener

After all the experimentation from Tuchel during his tenure so far, he arrives at his first World Cup game with only two real selection dilemmas: his centre-back pairing and whether he deems Saka fit enough to start against Croatia.

Gordon locked in his left-wing role ahead of Rashford with a cracking, confidence-fuelled performance against Costa Rica, while all the indications from that game point towards Bellingham beating Rogers to the No 10 spot.

The full-backs looked assured, Elliot Anderson and Rice are the clear midfield picks and the team sheet may as well come with the names of Kane and Jordan Pickford already printed on.

But Madueke's erratic performance on the right against Costa Rica could tempt Tuchel to put his trust in Saka's fitness and he will have to decide on the best combination of Konsa, Stones and Guehi in defence. I suspect it will be Saka who gets the nod in attack, with Stones and Guehi paired at the back.
Peter Smith

Madueke deserves start over unfit Saka

England cannot afford to have any passengers in their crucial first match - it's not a fixture for Saka to be playing through the pain of an Achilles injury.

The winger needs more rest after struggling through the final months of the season, missing the international break in March and then five Arsenal matches before being unable to last the full 90 in the Champions League final.

Tuchel has said Saka isn't 100 per cent fit, whereas his club team-mate Madueke is. Saka was limited to only a 27-minute cameo against Costa Rica last week as Madueke shone from the start and he deserves the spot on the right.
David Richardson

Konsa-Guehi needs to gel before the knockout rounds

Stones is unlucky to miss out in my team but without Harry Maguire alongside him, there's less appeal to start him.

There should be concerns about how Stones would fare against the better centre forwards in the knockout stages, so why not gel the more athletic Konsa and Guehi together before the major games?

Bellingham and Gordon have done enough in the friendlies to show they are sharpest to start the opening game. Both of the players have shown the "bite" Tuchel wants right from the off.

Again, Rogers should feel hard done by - but his partnership with Ollie Watkins could come useful off the bench in crucial moments. He will still be an important player.
Sam Blitz

Heart says start Saka, head says otherwise

There are no huge surprises in my team, as I imagine will be the case on Wednesday evening when the official team for the opener against Croatia is released.

Stones is fit and ready to go, which is great to see, but Konsa partners Guehi in the centre of defence. A brilliant season for Aston Villa has earned him that spot.

The rest of the team pretty much picks itself, but the one question mark that remains is whether to start Saka. Tuchel has spoken about how he is "the one we are building and taking care of in training" and that he was playing through the pain at the end of the season at Arsenal.

My heart says to start him, but my head says otherwise, if there's any inkling of doubt.
Dan Long

Can Rogers and Bellingham bring it home together?

I have decided on quite a safe XI, with most of the favourites keeping their position. The only issue came from the Rogers-Bellingham battle for the No 10 position.

I decided to give Rogers the shirt and played Bellingham in a right-wing position. Notably being a position Jude played in prominently during the later stages of his Dortmund years and at multiple points at Real Madrid.

Saka is also in close contention for me, who could take Bellingham's spot if his patchy international form continues, as I'm still not massively convinced by the Bellingham/Kane link up.
Michael Hope

(c) Sky Sports 2026: England vs Croatia: Sky Sports writers pick their Three Lions starting XIs for 2026 World Cup opener in Texas