Tuchel weighs England team choices ahead of Croatia opener

Jude Bellingham's No. 10 shirt is the sharpest clue yet to how Thomas Tuchel wants England to look when they open against Croatia in Dallas. Harry Kane kept No. 9 for a third straight World Cup and Bukayo Saka took No. 7, turning the opening selection debate into a question of structure, not just star power.

England will face Croatia on Wednesday 17 June 2026 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kick-off at 9pm BST, 20:00 local time. The match begins Group L for Tuchel's side, who will also face Ghana and Panama as they try to turn a 26-man squad into a team with enough control, incision and balance to survive the tournament's early pressure.

Tuchel named his squad on 22 May, leaving out Phil Foden and Cole Palmer in a decision that underlined how strongly he is weighing chemistry and collective shape. England's camp was based in Miami, Florida, before the move to Kansas City for the tournament, and Tuchel said the players had been training in hot, humid, rainy and stormy conditions to adapt to North America. That preparation was not cosmetic: England won both warm-up matches, against New Zealand and Costa Rica, and Tuchel said the final warm-up game was designed to give players longer stints on the pitch as the intensity increased.

The Bellingham decision matters because a No. 10 shirt invites a very specific reading of Tuchel's preferred England. If Bellingham is used as the central attacking midfielder, England gain a runner who can carry the ball through traffic and connect midfield to Kane without asking the front line to drift too far from its shape. That would help England create chances against a Croatia side likely to protect the centre, but it also raises the bar for midfield control behind him.

Saka's No. 7 points in the other direction. His role suggests Tuchel wants direct width, defensive discipline and a player who can keep England's right side connected when the game becomes stretched. With Kane fixed at No. 9 and Bellingham positioned as the likely tactical hinge, Tuchel appears to be building an England that values balance as much as flair. Against Croatia, that choice will reveal how far England can stretch their tournament ceiling without losing the compactness Tuchel has clearly prioritised.