Croatia and Modric Under Pressure After 4-2 Defeat to England at World Cup 2026

Croatia Left Bottom of Group L After Opening Loss

Croatia could hardly have asked for a tougher start to the 2026 World Cup. A 4-2 defeat to England in their Group L opener on 17 June, played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, leaves the 2018 finalists rooted to the bottom of the table on zero points. For a team that has built its modern identity on slow starts and dramatic recoveries, the margin for error has already vanished.

The scoreline flattered neither side at the break, with the match level twice before England pulled clear. By full time, though, the result told a clear story: Croatia were second best where it mattered, and their veteran spine looked stretched against a younger, sharper opponent.

How the Match Unfolded

England struck first through Harry Kane, who converted a penalty in the 12th minute. Croatia responded in the 36th minute when Martin Baturina found the net to draw level. The lead changed hands again before the interval: Kane restored England’s advantage in the 42nd minute, only for a strike credited to Petar Musa deep in first-half stoppage time, in the 45+5th minute, to make it 2-2 at the break.

The second half belonged to England. Jude Bellingham put the Three Lions back in front almost immediately after the restart in the 47th minute, and Marcus Rashford settled matters in the 85th minute to seal a 4-2 win. Croatia, having twice clawed their way back, had no third comeback in them.

Modric’s Fifth World Cup Begins in Disappointment

Few storylines carried more weight into this tournament than that of Luka Modric. At 40 years old, the Croatia captain is appearing at his fifth World Cup, having featured in 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2022. This campaign is widely expected to be his last on the game’s biggest stage, which lent the opening defeat an extra sting.

Modric remains the standard-bearer for a golden generation. He captained Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and to a third-place finish in 2022, and he claimed the Ballon d’Or in 2018, the year his country reached its first World Cup final. That body of work has long made him one of the defining midfielders of his era, and the comparison between past glories and a 4-2 reverse was inescapable.

The challenge now is as much physical as tactical. Croatia have leaned heavily on experience for a decade, and a demanding group schedule will test whether their senior players can sustain their level across three matches. England’s pace in the second half exposed exactly that question.

The Group L Picture After Matchday One

Croatia are not the only side in this group, and the early standings underline how quickly their position has tightened. England sit on three points after the win in Arlington. Ghana also have three points, having beaten Panama 1-0 in the group’s other opening fixture. Panama, like Croatia, are still searching for their first point.

• England – 3 points (beat Croatia 4-2)
• Ghana – 3 points (beat Panama 1-0)
• Croatia – 0 points
• Panama – 0 points

With two strong starts at the top, Croatia’s path to the knockout rounds has narrowed sharply. Realistically, they must win their remaining fixtures to keep their qualification hopes alive, and even then results elsewhere may shape their fate. Those matches are still to come, and Croatia will be expected to treat the next outing as something close to a must-win.

England, by contrast, have momentum. Their opening performance echoed the attacking intent seen elsewhere in the early rounds, as detailed in our coverage of how Kane’s double fired England past Croatia in the Group L opener.

A Tournament Taking Shape

Croatia’s setback arrives against the backdrop of a wider title picture that is already forming. Pre-tournament favourites have made statements of their own, from France’s bright beginning to Brazil’s surge in their group, and the early goalscoring charts hint at who might define the knockout stage.

For context on the contenders, our reporting on how Mbappe fired France to a winning World Cup start against Senegal captures the standard the leading nations are setting. Croatia, for now, are chasing rather than dictating, and the gap between the group’s pacesetters and its strugglers is stark.

The individual battles are heating up too, with the race for the tournament’s top scorer already drawing attention. Readers tracking that contest can follow the latest in our look at the Golden Boot race at the 2026 World Cup, where the early front-runners are pulling ahead.

What Comes Next for Croatia

The numbers are unforgiving. Sitting bottom on zero points after one game, Croatia have left themselves no room for further slips. Their remaining group matches, still to be played, will need to deliver maximum points if Modric’s final World Cup is to extend beyond the group stage.

History offers a flicker of hope. Croatia have repeatedly defied expectations in recent tournaments, grinding through tight games and penalty shootouts to reach the latter rounds. Whether this ageing core can summon that resilience one more time is the question that will hang over their camp until the next whistle blows. For now, the pressure is firmly on Modric and his team to respond.