Croatia faces England in a UEFA Nations League match on October 3 at Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka, Croatia, starting at 6pm local time. Both teams have won and lost one game each so far this season, with upcoming matches against Spain and Czechia ahead. Key players include Luka Modric of Croatia, who continues to perform impressively despite being 41 years old, and Harry Kane of England, who has excelled in scoring goals.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Saturday, October 3, the UEFA Nations League match between Croatia and England took place at the Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka, Croatia, starting at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT). The game was behind closed doors due to a stadium ban imposed on Croatia by UEFA for fan misconduct during a previous match against France. Despite this, around 6,000 children were allowed to attend the match.
England, coached by Thomas Tuchel, fielded a strong lineup with Jordan Pickford in goal and players like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Morgan Rogers in key positions. England dominated the game, securing a 7-0 victory over Croatia, which lifted them to second place in League A3.
England's performance was marked by stellar contributions from multiple players: Jude Bellingham scored one goal and assisted three others, while Bukayo Saka netted two goals and narrowly missed completing a hat-trick. Despite limited action for the hosts due to their ban, England showcased their strength and cohesion under Tuchel's guidance.
Written for “Croatia vs England Nations League” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 13:00 GMT
Action in the Nations League continues this weekend with a matchday three tie between Croatia and England.
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Action → bring → Croatia
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With a win and a defeat each, Croatia and England have both made a mixed start to this year’s competition.
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Croatia → make → competition
Drawn in a group alongside the reigning world champions Spain and minnows Czechia, Croatia and England find themselves in an interesting yet challenging pool.
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Croatia → draw → pool
Captain Harry Kane has led from the front for the Three Lions, excelling in front of goal alongside winger Anthony Gordon, while Luka Modric continues to defy age, still playing a vital role in Croatia’s midfield even at 41.
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Modric → lead → 41
Al Jazeera breaks down everything ahead of Croatia vs England:
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Jazeera → break → England
The UEFA Nations League was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive matches against top-ranked teams.
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League → found → teams
In this competition, countries from across Europe participate in a league structure which features promotion and relegation.
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which → participate → promotion
How have Croatia and England played in the Nations League?
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Croatia → play → League
Both Croatia and England have won once and lost once.
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Croatia → win → ?
Croatia started their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 win over Czechia in Prague before losing 4-1 to world champions Spain in Seville.
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Croatia → start → Seville
England, on the other hand, fell 3-2 to Spain in their campaign opener in London before beating a 10-man Czechia side 2-0 in Prague.
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England → fall → Prague
When did Croatia and England last meet?
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Croatia → meet → ?
They last met at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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They → meet → Cup
England beat Croatia 4-2 in a World Cup group game on June 17 in Arlington, Texas.
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England → beat → Arlington
Captain Harry Kane scored a brace, while Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham scored a goal apiece.
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Rashford → score → goal
Form guide
(Last five games, latest results first)
Croatia: L-W-L-W-W
England: W-L-W-L-W
Who are the top players to watch?
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players → watch → ?
The evergreen Modric, very much the heartbeat of the Croatian midfield even at 41 years old, scored the opening goal in their away win in Czechia.
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Modric → score → Czechia
Time and again, the captain has pulled the strings in the middle of the park, proving age is just a number.
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age → pull → park
His fellow experienced teammate, Perisic, is also chipping in style, bagging back-to-back assists.
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teammate → chip → assists
The script for England has looked the same in the last two games: Gordon opens the scoring, and Kane follows suit.
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Kane → look → suit
While that wasn’t enough to beat the mighty Spain, it did the job against Czechia.
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it → beat → Czechia
Can this dynamic duo strike again?
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duo → strike → ?
The numbers swing in their favour – Gordon has five assists already for Barcelona this season, while Kane has scored six times for Bayern Munich.
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Kane → swing → Munich
Team news and predicted lineups
Croatia
Centre-back Martin Erlic is out injured until mid-October, and right-back Josip Juranovic is sidelined with illness.
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Juranovic → predict → illness
England are without left-back Nico O’Reilly, who withdrew from the squad with injury.
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who → withdraw → injury
Probable England XI: James Trafford; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall; Elliot Anderson, Miles Lewis-Skelly; Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane
Croatia vs England: TV channel, livestreaming
- Croatia: gol
- United Kingdom: ITV1
- United States: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX
- India: Sony Sports Network
- Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
- South Africa: DStv Stream
You can find your regional broadcaster on UEFA’s official broadcaster listing.
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You → find → listing
The Aporia
