England player odds to start World Cup opener against Croatia

England's 26-man World Cup squad has been finalised with the Three Lions' Group L opener against Croatia fast approaching.

With such a talented crop of players to choose from Thomas Tuchel's selections were always going to prove contentious, with a number of top players doomed to miss out regardless of how was selected.

However, Tuchel's selections have proven particularly controversial, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire all missing out on a place in North America despite being favoured to make the squad.

Attentions now turn to England's clash with Croatia in Arlington, Texas next month.

England are no stranger to facing the Balkan nation on the biggest stages in the sport, with a Croatia side spurred on by a talismanic performance from Ivan Perisic in 2018 proving to be the Three Lions' undoing in the semi-finals.

In the most recent meeting between the two nations a second-half goal from Raheem Sterling was enough to secure victory for England in their Euro 2020 opener and Tuchel will be hoping his side will be able to set a similar tone when they kick off their campaign this summer.

The question therefore then turns to who will the former Chelsea boss will name in his starting XI.

While the likes of Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice and Harry Kane can be confident of their place on the team sheet, there remains significant speculation surrounding how Tuchel will choose to deploy his squad.

We've taken a deep dive into some selected players who could walk out at the AT&T Stadium on 17 June.

"No Cole Palmer, no Trent Alexander Arnold, no Harry Maguire and no Phil Foden, If you didn’t know before, you’ll know now!" bet365 trading expert Steve Freeth said.

"Thomas Tuchel doesn’t care about who you think should be in the England World Cup squad and the confirmation of who will be on the plane has us opening a market on who will start against Croatia on June 17th.

England player odds to start against Croatia

John Stones

While there was no place for his long-time England defensive partner Harry Maguire in Tuchel's squad, John Stones has been selected and will travel to his sixth major tournament with the Three Lions this summer.

Stones' inclusion in the squad comes as something of a surprise following an injury-disrupted campaign at the Etihad that has seen him relegated to a supporting role in what is set to be his final season at the club after a decade in Manchester.

In fact, Stones has played just eight minutes of Premier League football in 2026, with his last league start coming all the way back in October of last year.

While his Manchester City team-mate Marc Guehi looks nailed on to start in the heart of defense, the question of who will play alongside him remains an open one, with Stones 13/8 to start the clash with Croatia.

Dan Burn

If Tuchel's finalised squad list has proven anything, it is that the 52-year-old will not bow to pressure when it comes to selecting which players will join him on the plane to North America.

Arguably no selection better exemplifies this fact than the inclusion of 34-year-old Newcastle stalwart Dan Burn.

Prior to Tuchel's appointment as England boss Burn had never even represented his country at youth level, but the towering defender now stands in contention to represent his country on the biggest stage in the world football.

Tuchel is clearly a keen admirer of Burn, and has included the former Brighton man in every single one of his squads since taking the reins.

Burn's versatility across the back line could make him a valuable addition from the bench but a start in England's opening game of the tournament is likely to be a bridge too far.

Jordan Henderson

Possibly the most contentious of Tuchel's inclusions, few could have imagined that Jordan Henderson would remain a feature in the national set up following his controversial move to the Saudi Pro League, let alone be selected for a major tournament nearly three years later.

While his transfer to Al-Ettifaq threatened to spell the end for Henderson's time at the highest levels of the game, the 35-year-old has since demonstrated his trademark tenacity by reviving his career at Brentford following a brief spell at Ajax.

The former Liverpool captain has been a key figure for Keith Andrews' bees over the course of the season, and they have exceeded expectations in the Irishman's first year in charge.

Henderson has long been a popular figure in the England squad for his leadership skills and mentality, but the expectation that he will play a mainly supporting role in North America is reflected in the long price for him to start their opener.

Marcus Rashford

After his long-term association with boyhood club Manchester United turned sour, a change of scenery has proven to be exactly what Marcus Rashford needed to revitalise his career.

On loan at Barcelona this season the 28-year-old has offered a timely reminder of his skills in front of goal, registering 14 goals and 14 assists for the Blaugrana as they claimed their 29th league title.

Rashford's uptick in form has been reflected in his involvement for England.

Just two years ago the forward was one of the highest-profile absentees from Sir Gareth Southgate's squad for Euro 2024 and many speculated his international career could have come to a premature end.

Now, a decade on from his first appearance for the Three Lions at a major tournament, Rashford stands in contention to start against Croatia next month, with his experience and ability to create chances making him a valuable asset for Tuchel.

Ivan Toney

If the inclusion of Jordan Henderson wasn't enough, Ivan Toney's place in England's World Cup squad serves at yet more evidence that a move to the Saudi Pro League isn't necessarily the death sentence many detractors claimed it would be when it comes to international football.

Harry Kane's position as England's talisman has been undeniable for several years at this point, and his exploits in the Bundesliga for Bayern Munich have offered yet more evidence that he is one of the very best players in world football.

What is less clear however, is what England's back-up plan in the almost unthinkable event that Kane is unable to lead his team out next month.

In converting a spot kick in England's penalty shootout win over Switzerland at Euro 2024 Toney proved that he is capable of maintaining his ice cold demeanour even in the most high-pressure situations, something that could prove invaluable in the coming weeks.

Toney has been prolific at club level with Al-Ahli but with Tuchel preferring to deploy a sole striker it appears he will be resigned to a supporting role as Kane's understudy.

Although, stranger things have happened in football...

Others

Anthony Gordon

Bukayo Saka

Dean Henderson

Declan Rice

Djed Spence

Eberechi Eze

Elliot Anderson

Ezri Konsa

Harry Kane

James Trafford

Jarell Quansah

Jordan Pickford

Jude Bellingham

Kobbie Mainoo

Marc Guehi

Morgan Rogers

Nico O'Reilly

Noni Madueke

Ollie Watkins

Reece James

Tino Livramento

All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.