England vs Croatia is the shock match this Wednesday June 17. After the entries of the French team, Argentina and Portugal, it is the turn of these two great nations of European football to cross swords during the 2026 World Cup. In France, the match is broadcast free of charge on M6 and M6+. If you are abroad, here is how to watch the free England Croatia streaming, via the French-speaking channels which broadcast it unencrypted.
England has been waiting since 1966. Sixty years after its only coronation, Thomas Tuchel’s selection is among the favorites for the 2026 World Cup and launches Group L against a Croatia which loves to play spoilsport, semi-finalist of the last two editions. Kick-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. (Paris time)or 3 p.m. in Arlington, in the Dallas area, at AT&T Stadium. In France, watching England Croatia is free and unencrypted on M6, and England Croatia streaming offers one of the most anticipated shocks of the first day. We show you how watch England Croatia streaming live and in HD, wherever you are.
Here’s where to watch England Croatia live and in HD depending on your country:
- In France: free on M6 and M6+ (and on beIN Sports 1 for subscribers).
- In Belgium: on the RTBF website, unencrypted on Auvio.
- In Switzerland: on the RTS website, free of charge.
- Elsewhere: a VPN like NordVPN (-77% with the code 01NET, 30 day trial), then M6+, RTBF or Play RTS.
Outside their borders, the free channels above cut their live broadcast as soon as you try to access them. A VPN bypasses this blockage by replacing your IP address with a local address, which reopens access to the stream as if you were staying at home. To do this, simply choose a server in France for M6, in Belgium for RTBF or in Switzerland for RTS. Then, all you have to do is start the match on the channel’s website or application, directly on the device of your choice (mobile, tablet, computer, smart TV, etc.). It’s the easiest way to follow the meeting in French and in HD quality, especially if you are an expatriate, on a business trip or on vacation abroad.
Watch England Croatia free to air with NordVPN
How to unblock free channels to watch England Croatia in streaming?
In the VPN market, NordVPN remains the benchmark. Used by more than 15 million people worldwide, it offers solid coverage in France, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, and a single subscription is valid for 10 devices simultaneously. Other options are worth a detour, such as Proton VPN or ExpressVPN, official partner of FIFA, or CyberGhost and its 45-day money-back guarantee, the longest on the market. Please note: during the World Cup, ExpressVPN pauses its 30-day guarantee, while NordVPN and Proton keep it. The process is simple: just take NordVPN, Proton or CyberGhost, use them to connect to free channels to watch the 2026 World Cup, then claim the 30 or 45 day money back guarantee.
How to watch England Croatia with a VPN?
Do you want to access a free French, Belgian or Swiss channel from abroad? Nothing could be simpler. A VPN remains the only solution and it assigns you a local IP address of the chosen country, which is enough to unblock the broadcasters in clear HD, in a few clicks. Here’s how to do it:
- Install a VPN like NordVPN (-77%, code 01NET)
- Connect to a server in France, Belgium or Switzerland
- Open M6+, RTBF (Auvio) or Play RTS
- Start live England Croatia at 10 p.m.
To watch the England Croatia match live, click here:
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On which channel to watch England Croatia in free streaming?
As we’ve clarified, England Croatia streaming rights depend on the country you’re watching from. In France, the match is among the 54 matches broadcast unencrypted by M6, and via its M6+ site/application, without requiring any subscription. In Belgium, RTBF broadcasts it for free via Auvio, like RTS in Switzerland via Play RTS. In other words, all these channels are part of the public service and they broadcast the 104 matches of this 2026 World Cup for free in French. Across the Channel, you have to turn to the BBC and ITV which also broadcast free England Croatia streaming in the clear.
England Croatia: the Three Lions under pressure, Croatia in ambush
Sixty years old. That’s how long England have been waiting since the 1966 coronation and Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick, the only major title in its history. At each tournament, the country chants “Football’s coming home” and ends up heartbroken. This time, it is a German, Thomas Tuchel, who inherits the mission of breaking the curse, a nice snub to history when we remember that the 66 final was played against the West Germany. The coach made radical choices, leaving names like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold at home. And fate immediately reserves for him the opponent that every English supporter fears. In the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, in Moscow, England opened the scoring after five minutes on a free kick from Kieran Trippier, and already a whole nation saw itself in the final.
Then Croatia turned everything around, Mario Mandžukić planting the coup de grace in extra time. The “It’s coming home” suddenly went silent. Eight years later, here is the revenge match, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in the Dallas area, should rumble from 10 p.m. (Paris time), 3 p.m. on site. Because Croatia, this country of less than four million inhabitants, has taken on the unfortunate habit of rising where it is least expected, finalist in 2018, semi-finalist in 2022. At the heart of the game, the indestructible Luka Modrić, 40 years old, this 2018 Golden Ball who brought down the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, is undoubtedly playing his fifth and last Cup of the world. Up front, Ante Budimir arrives with his 17 goals scored in La Liga this season. There remains a flaw, a defense which took on water during preparation, and which the English intend to exploit.
Precisely, on the English side, Harry Kane remains the man of big nights, with eight goals in the last two World Cups, he who is still chasing the first trophy of his international career. At his side, the carelessness of Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham, and a reassuring statistic, only one defeat in the Three Lions’ last eight opening matches. Small last minute blow, defender Tino Livramento withdraws due to injury and leaves his place to Trevoh Chalobah. In a group L completed by Ghana and Panama, this heavyweight clash will already set the tone for the race to the eighth.
Finally, keep your VPN in mind beyond this poster. This is the tool that many keep all year round to unblock foreign streaming catalogs (Netflix US in the lead), follow championships not broadcast in France (LaLiga, Premier League, LdC, etc.) or protect their data on a public network. Your subscription taken out to watch the 2026 World Cup proves useful well beyond that.
See England Croatia with NordVPN
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