Who should start England's WC opener vs Croatia? Writers pick their XIs

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.

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.

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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:

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 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

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 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