FIFa World Cup 2026 Today 11 June: updates, latest news as England beat Costa Rica

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Here we go then, the 2026 World Cup has finally reached and the opening match of the competition is set to get under way this evening.

Mexico hosted South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in the first of 104 matches at this expanded World Cup in what is also, of course, a repeat of the 2010 curtain raiser.

England were deterred by a thunderstorm that delayed their final World Cup warm-up friendly as they beat Costa Rica 3–0 in Orlando on Wednesday (June 10, 2026).

Anthony Gordon was the star of the show with a goal and an assist as he made his case to start ahead of Marcus Rashford in England’s World Cup opening against Croatia on June 17.

England manager Thomas Tuchel praised his side’s intensity, commitment and cohesiveness after a convincing 3–0 victory over Costa Rica in a World Cup warm-up match. Goals from Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins highlighted a much-improved performance.

New York:

Thomas Tuchel was pleased with what he seen from his team, as England swept aside Costa Rica in Orlando to take one more step towards the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Although the kick-off in Orlando was delayed for an hour after a torrential storm flooded the pitch, England produced a crisp and aggressive performance, in contrast to Saturday’s lackluster outing against New Zealand.

An early goal from Declan Rice set the Three Lions on their path, before a second-half penalty from Anthony Gordon and a late header from Ollie Watkins sealed the victory.

“I wished for that, I demanded that; I said before the match we want to push it to the next level, from intensity, commitment, cohesion, and we did that,” said Tuchel as quoted by Xinhua.

“We see the adaptation to the heat, and we see things clicking, but we demanded it today from the players to take the next step, and they did. The result takes care of itself, but we did it on a high level,” he added.

Tuchel said earlier that the fact England hasn’t won the World Cup since 1966 means it can’t be considered one of the favorites for the tournament, but he was positive in his post-game assessment.

“The work rate gives us a good feeling and intensity, and we can impose ourselves on the opponent, and the movement is up front and not running backward,” he said, before singling out Bellingham for praise.

“I wanted to see Jude in the combination today

for the first time with Harry [Kane], Elliot [Anderson] and Declan [Rice] at the center of the game. I know what Morgan [Rogers] gives us there; I just saw it so many times. It was the first time for Jude, and he buys into these ideas. He has to, and he loves to do it, and that’s part of our game.”

England will play a closed-doors friendly against local side Miami United on Thursday before facing Serbia in its first group match on June 17.

There will also be the first of three opening celebrations taking place in the Mexican capital on Thursday, with Shakira performing the World Cup song Dai Dai alongside Burna Boy.

The tournament then gets into full swing, and South Korea face Czechoslovakia in the early hours of Friday morning in the other match in Group A.

On Friday evening, it will be Canada’s turn to launch their tournament, welcoming Bosnia and Herzegovina to Toronto, with Michael Bublé leading opening ceremony proceedings there.

And in the early hours of the morning UK time on Saturday, the United States will get their World Cup campaign up and running in Los Angeles.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men host Paraguay at the Sofi Stadium and in the third and final opening ceremony, Katy Perry is the headline act.

England, fresh from a 3-0 win over Costa Rica, have their first match on June 17 against Croatia, in what is a repeat of the 2018 semi-final.

Meanwhile, defending champions Argentina will launch their title defense in the early hours of June 16 UK time, facing Algeria, with Lionel Messi and his team hoping to avoid an early setback like in Qatar 2022.

England defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in their final World Cup warm-up friendly in Orlando, while the FIFA World Cup 2026 official kicks off today, June 11, with host nation Mexico taking on South Africa.

Despite a severe pre-match thunderstorm delaying kick-off by an hour, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad delivered a commanding performance to wrap up their tournament preparations with high intensity and zero injuries.

England vs. Costa Rica Match HighlightsDeclan Rice Goal:

Opened the scoring early in the 10th minute with a deflected strike following excellent buildup play by Anthony Gordon.Anthony Gordon Penalty: Smashed a second-half penalty into the top-left corner after Eberechi Eze won a handball decision upheld by VAR.Ollie Watkins Clincher: Came off the bench to score a poacher’s header from close range in the 87th minute, sealing the 3-0 victory.Tactical. Shift: With Harry Kane dropping deep to facilitate play, Gordon starred on the wing, boosting his chances to start the opening group fixture ahead of Marcus Rashford.Tuchel’s Clean Record: This win marks England’s 11th clean sheet in 14 matches under Thomas Tuchel, restricted Costa Rica to just 1 shot compared to England’s 27.

FIFA World Cup Day 1 Schedule & UpdatesThe historical 48-team tournament gets underway today with two opening Group A fixtures in Mexico:MatchGroupTime (Local / GMT)VenueMexico vs. South AfricaGroup A1:00 PM CST / 19:00 GMTMexico City StadiumSouth Korea vs. CzechiaGroup A8:00 PM CST / 02:00 GMT (Fri)Stadio Guadalajara