England Opens Group L Against Croatia on June 17
England opens group l against Croatia on Wednesday, June 17, at 4:00 p.m. ET, starting its World Cup 2026 schedule in the United States. Gareth Southgate’s side also has Ghana and Panama left in the group, with every one of England’s matches available to fans without charge through the tournament.
Southgate’s England Opens First
The Croatia match is the first stop in England’s Group L campaign, and it comes before meetings with Ghana on Tuesday, June 23, at 4:00 p.m. ET and Panama on Saturday, June 27, at 5:00 p.m. ET. England is chasing its first FIFA World Cup title since 1966, so the opening game carries immediate weight in a short three-match group.
Southgate will have Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, and John Stones in the squad mix. That group gives England a familiar core, and it is the same core expected to carry the team through a schedule that leaves little margin for a slow start.
iHeartRadio Carries 104 Matches
Fans do not need a subscription to follow the tournament audio feed. All 104 matches will stream live on iHeartRadio, which will carry FOX Sports commentary on a dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 streaming station.
For listeners in the United States, the service also includes 30 live matches on national broadcast radio. That means England fans can follow the full group stage run against Croatia, Ghana, and Panama from June 11 through July 19 without missing the audio broadcast.
England’s Group L Run
The opening against Croatia is the first real checkpoint for England in a group that begins and ends in one week’s span. If the team handles that first match, the rest of the path is already set on the calendar: Ghana five days later, then Panama four days after that.
The practical step for fans is simple: tune in through iHeartRadio and follow every England match live as the tournament unfolds. The schedule is fixed, the access is free, and Southgate’s side begins with the one match that sets the tone for Group L.
