Bellingham set to start for England against Croatia

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jude Bellingham has scored six goals from 48 appearances for England By Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent Published 17 June 2026, 17:30 BST Updated 2 minutes ago Jude Bellingham is set to start in England's coveted number 10 role for their World Cup opener against Croatia. There has been conjecture over who will play in the central attacking berth for England after the emergence of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers as a viable option in the position. However, it is understood England manager Thomas Tuchel is likely to select Bellingham, 22, for Wednesday's Group L encounter in Dallas (21:00 BST). The Real Madrid star is expected to have Arsenal's Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest alongside him in midfield. Elsewhere, Ezri Konsa is likely to get the nod at centre-half alongside John Stones - with Marc Guehi in line to start on the bench. Reece James and Nico O'Reilly are set to start at full-back. Harry Kane will captain the side and lead the attack. Anthony Gordon is expected to play on the left wing with Noni Madueke in line to play on the right in place of Bukayo Saka, who is working his way back to full fitness from Achilles tendinitis. Predicted line-up: Pickford; James, Stones, Konsa, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane Related topics Football England Men's Football Team FIFA World Cup 2026 Can Bellingham become England's superstar once more at the World Cup? Published 7 hours ago More on this story World Cup fixtures and group standings How to watch the World Cup on the BBC Published 6 June Everything you need to know about the World Cup Published 1 April