When is England’s First 2026 World Cup Match? Fixture Information, Kick-Off and Group Stage Opponents

When is England’s First 2026 World Cup Match? Fixture Information, Kick-Off and Group Stage Opponents

With the 2026 World Cup just 19 days away, the anticipation for the greatest sporting competition in the World is ramping up. For many nations, this week marked the squad announcements which as you can imagine creates controversy amongst each fan base.

This was certainly the case amongst England fans after Thomas Tuchel announced his squad for the trip to America this morning. There are some huge players that have not been included such as Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer, Lewis Hall, Phil Foden, and Adam Wharton. Whilst the likes of Jordan Henderson, Ivan Toney and Djed Spence have been given a seat on the plane to many people’s surprise despite not having fantastic season’s themselves.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Main names left out of the England World Cup squad list by Thomas Tuchel.

❌ Cole Palmer
❌ Harry Maguire
❌ Lewis Hall
❌ Morgan Gibbs-White
❌ Adam Wharton
❌ Phil Foden
❌ Jarrod Bowen
❌ Alex Scott
❌ Trent Alexander-Arnold
❌ Luke Shaw
❌ Fikayo Tomori pic.twitter.com/nETun0pfgI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2026

When is England’s First 2026 World Cup Match?

Tuchel’s men are preparing for their opener against Croatia on Wednesday 17th June. The game is set to kick off at 9pm UK time and it will be taking place in Arlington, Texas.

The Three Lions will be hoping to right the wrongs of the 2018 World Cup when they faced Croatia in the Semi-Final, losing in extra-time on the day and missing out on their first World Cup Final since 1966.

Who Else Will the Three Lions Face in the Group Phase?

Just six days after their game against Croatia, Tuchel's men travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts to face Ghana. This will be the first time the nations have met since a friendly back in 2011, which ended in a 1–1 draw.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

🔙 Reece James, Jarell Quansah, Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins, and Harry Kane.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 World Cup Schedule
🇭🇷 Croatia | June 17
🇬🇭 Ghana | June 23
🇵🇦 Panama | June 27 pic.twitter.com/SkitzJ2b5a

— Passport Soccer (@passport_soccer) May 22, 2026

Finally, the Three Lions will complete their group phase against Panama on Saturday 27th June with a 10pm UK kick-off time. This match will take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey and will be just over 8 years since the sides last met in the 2018 World Cup group stage, with England comfortably winning 6-1 that time.

Following on from the group phase, England will be hoping to top the group so with that they will face a 3rd place team on Wednesday 1st July in Atlanta, Georgia.

The main objective for the Three Lions is to lift the Jules Rimet trophy on July 19th in New Jersey and end 60 years of hurt. Will Tuchel be the man to bring football back home?