England vs Croatia Nations League 2026/27: Kane's Milestone, Bellingham Brothers and Free Streams

England have looked like a side with a point to prove, and Croatia arrive at Matchday 5 with a point of their own. Both teams have something riding on this one. England are chasing a quarter-final spot, and Croatia are trying to shake off a run of defeats that has put pressure on Slaven Bilic's second spell in charge.

England's response to Spain

England opened the Nations League with a 3-2 defeat to Spain, and the reaction has been ruthless. They beat Czechia twice and Croatia in the same window, racking up an aggregate 12-0 across those three wins. The centrepiece was a 7-0 win in Rijeka, played behind closed doors, that suggested Thomas Tuchel has stopped holding the handbrake. A point from this match is enough to guarantee a quarter-final place.

Harry Kane scored twice in Rijeka, and the captain is set to pass Peter Shilton as England's most-capped male player if he starts as expected. That's a milestone that would have seemed like a formality a few years ago, and it's a reminder of how long Kane has carried this side.

Keep an eye on Jobe Bellingham as well. He's in an England squad for the first time, alongside older brother Jude. If both feature, they'd become England's fourth set of post-war brothers to play for the team, following Nathaniel and Trevoh Chalobah, Gary and Phil Neville, and Bobby and Jack Charlton.

Croatia's need for a reset

Croatia are looking for revenge after that heavy October defeat to England. Bilic began his second stint with a 2-1 win over Czechia, but Croatia have since lost three in a row. The most recent of those was a 2-1 loss to world champions Spain, which many will read as a better showing than the Rijeka result suggested.

The squad still has quality. Luka Modric, now 41, continues to anchor the midfield, and the 2018 World Cup runners-up remain a credible side on paper. The centre-back pairing of Josko Gvardiol and Luka Vuskovic is one that plenty of European sides would envy. Gvardiol is fit again, which gives Croatia a stronger defensive base than they had in October.

Team news

England XI: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Burn, Hall, Rice, Anderson, Bellingham, Gordon, Rogers, Kane

England substitutes: Trafford, Steele, Gibbs-White, White, Hill, Branthwaite, Jobe Bellingham, Garner, Calvert-Lewin, Ngumoha, Eze, King

Croatia XI: Livakovic, Stanisic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Vlasic, Smolcic, Baturina, Sucic, Matanovic, Misic

Croatia substitutes: Pandur, Kotarski, Caleta-Car, Galesic, Majer, Beljo, Modric, Budimir, Mario Psaslic, Hrgovic, Marco Pasalic, Soticek

Where to watch for free

The match will be shown free to air or free online in England's and Croatia's home markets, and in the Republic of Ireland.

UK: ITV1 and ITVX. Live ITV viewing requires a TV licence, and ITVX requires a free account.
Republic of Ireland: Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Play.
Croatia: Nova TV, streaming live on its website.

If you're travelling, a VPN can change the location your connection appears to come from, which sometimes helps when a stream is geo-restricted at home or abroad. Check that the service's terms allow access from your location before you rely on that route.

Paid options in other markets

United States: Fubo carries the match. Access requires its Pro Plan at $88.99 per month, which includes a 5-day free trial.

Canada: DAZN is the broadcaster. Its soccer package starts at CA$24.99 per month and also covers the Premier League, Champions League and Bundesliga.

Australia: beIN Sports Connect is showing the match. It offers a 7-day free trial, with pricing from AU$16.99 per month or AU$169.99 per year.

Kick-off and head-to-head

Kick-off is 7:45pm GMT on Thursday, 12 November. That's 2:45pm ET, 11:45am PT, and 6:45am AEDT on Friday, 13 November in Australia.

The two sides have met 13 times. England have won eight, Croatia three, and two ended in draws. The most recent Nations League meeting finished 7-0 to England, which gives the fixture a lopsided recent look even if Croatia's squad has more depth than that scoreline implies.

What to watch for

My read is that the match hinges on the midfield. England's Rice and Bellingham need to control tempo against a Croatia side that still has Modric's passing range and Sucic's energy in the middle. If Croatia can keep the game tight and avoid the early goal that unravelled them in October, they'll have a real chance to pull back some pride. If England score early, though, the match could follow the Rijeka script.

The Kane milestone and the Bellingham brothers will draw the headlines. The bigger question is whether England can keep up this level once the group tightens, and whether Croatia's new defensive pairing can hold up against a team that has scored freely.