England are finally kicking off their 2026 World Cup campaign, and it starts with a big opening group game against Croatia.

Harry is joined by Ashley and Charlie to preview the match, discuss England’s final warm-up win over Costa Rica, and react to the leaked starting XI rumours ahead of the game.

There is debate over Morgan Rogers potentially starting ahead of Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon’s strong case for the left-wing spot, Noni Madueke’s role on the right, and whether John Stones and Ezri Konsa should be preferred to Marc Guehi at centre-back.

The lads also discuss Croatia’s ageing but technically gifted squad, Harry Kane’s role in the tournament, Trevor Chalobah replacing Tino Livramento, and give their score predictions for England’s World Cup opener.

There is also a quick look around the rest of the tournament, including Cape Verde’s impressive draw with Spain and the wider group stage picture.

Charlie and John preview England's final friendly before the World Cup begins and discuss the recent events around referee Omar Artan

England beat New Zealand 1-0 in their latest World Cup warm-up, but did Thomas Tuchel’s side do enough to convince?

Ashley and Harry react instantly to a controlled but slightly underwhelming England performance, discussing Harry Kane’s goal, the lack of cutting edge in the final third, Tuchel’s full-squad rotation, set-piece concerns, and what the game told us ahead of Costa Rica.

There’s also debate on Jed Spence’s impressive display, the Stones/Guehi/Konza centre-back question, Rio Ngumoha’s surprise involvement, Ivan Toney’s role as a tournament specialist, and whether England are keeping their powder dry or still searching for sharpness.

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