How Jude Bellingham won over Thomas Tuchel to become England’s World Cup No 10
As Jude Bellingham walked off the pitch, a familiar tune rang out from the public address system inside the giant Dallas Stadium. England fans sang along to “Hey Jude” as Bellingham walked towards the tunnel, waving to the crowd, embracing his teammates, taking the adulation in his stride.
This was ostensibly Harry Kane’s night, scoring two goals which took him level with Gary Lineker’s tally of 10 at World Cups. But perhaps the evening meant more to Bellingham, a player who has been publicly questioned and privately doubted by his own manager, who has been subjected to scrutiny unlike his teammates. “Don’t bring Jude,” ran a headline in the Daily Mail earlier this season, suggesting England would be better off without him at the World Cup.
“It’s good to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my teammates how committed I am to helping us win football matches,” said Bellingham, after scoring England’s third goal in a 4-2 win.
Lawrence Ostlere in Dallas18 June 2026 08:56
England’s possible route to the final
Based on pre-tournament seeding and Fifa ranking
Round of 32 – 1 July: England v third-place finisher in Group E/H/I/J/K | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Round of 16 – 5 July: England vs Mexico | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City
Quarter-final – 11 July: England vs Brazil | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Semi-final – 15 July: England vs Argentina | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Final – 19 July: England vs Spain | MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:48
What do England need to reach the knockouts?
England’s win against Croatia puts them in a good position to reach the knockout phase and top the group.
Unless Panama beat Ghana and Croatia in their first two games, England could seal top spot in the group if they beat Ghana and claim a point against the minnows in their final match.
If Ghana beat Panama later on Wednesday, as is expected, then the Three Lions’ clash against the Ghanaian side may well decide who goes through as group winners.
(Getty)
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:40
When is England’s next World Cup game?
England play Ghana on Tuesday 23 June. It will be played at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the home of the New England Patriots and outside of Boston. Kick-off is 4pm local time, which is 9pm BST (UK time).
It will be shown in the UK on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website.
England’s World Cup fixtures
June 17: England 4-2 Croatia | AT&T Stadium, Arlington
June 23: England v Ghana | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough – 4pm ET / 9pm BST
June 27: England v Panama | MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford – 5pm ET / 10pm BST
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:32
Bellingham and the chip on his shoulder
England midfielder Jude Bellingham believes playing with a “chip on my shoulder” will bring the best out of him at the World Cup.
“For me personally, it was nice to put some of the noise aside and just show my country and my team-mates how committed I am to help us try to win football matches,” he told BBC Sport.
“It was a great team performance. Second half, we got things right, first half we got the intensity right, but not quite with the ball and second half we put it all together nicely.
“To contribute, to help my team and help my country is one of the biggest honours and regardless of the noise outside, that honour doesn’t change for me at all.
“It has been a tough season for me but I am feeling fresh and sharp and stronger.
“I have got a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. That helps me a lot to find that focus early in the game and to find that intensity.
“I know that it’s part of being a footballer and I don’t hold a grudge against anyone who says bad things about me because sometimes I do deserve it.
“Today, it was nice to try to show people and remind people what I’m about.”
Jude Bellingham celebrates after scoring England’s third goal (Reuters)
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:24
How the Golden Boot race looks after round one
1. Lionel Messi, (Argentina), three goals
= 2 Harry Kane (England), two goals
= 2 Erling Haaland (Norway), two goals
= 2 Kylian Mbappe (France), two goals
= 2 Folarin Balogun (USA), two goals
= 2 Elijaj Just (New Zealand), two goals
= 2 Kai Havertz (Germany), two goals
=2 Yasin Ayari (Sweden), two goals
England’s Harry Kane celebrates scoring their side’s second goal of the game (PA) (PA Wire)
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:16
World Cup commentator ‘dripping with blood’ after being hit by projectile at Uzbekistan v Colombia
Warren Barton was left “dripping with blood” after being hit by an apparent beer bottle during his World Cup 2026 commentary duties in Colombia’s 3-1 win over Uzbekistan.
Barton was at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to team up with Jacqui Oatley during the Fox broadcast.
The wild atmosphere saw both commentators drenched with beer in the first half after Daniel Munoz broke the deadlock for Colombia.
And the wild scenes continued in the second half when Barton appeared to be hit by a projectile in the closing stages of the contest, though the former Newcastle and Wimbledon player persevered with the commentary to the end, which saw a frantic finale, including Jaminton Campaz’s stoppage time strike.
Will Castle18 June 2026 08:08
Inside the England dressing room and Thomas Tuchel’s team-talk that sparked World Cup win over Croatia
Thomas Tuchel didn’t scream and shout at his players at half-time, although he must have resisted a mighty urge after watching them twice squander the lead against Croatia in their World Cup opener in Dallas. England went out of their way to help their opponents back into the game, parting like the Red Sea for Croatia’s first and standing like statues as the second unfolded around them.
“We took the decision to go backwards on and off the ball, so we played way too many balls backwards,” Tuchel later explained. “We played way too many balls back to our goalkeeper. We didn’t dare to eliminate, we didn’t dare to play through the gaps.”
Instead of ranting and raving, Tuchel allowed for a few moments of calm before sitting down to be at eye-level with his players.
Lawrence Ostlere in Dallas18 June 2026 08:00
WATCH: England fans go wild over opening goal of World Cup 2026England fans go wild over opening goal of World Cup 2026
Will Castle18 June 2026 07:45
Fifa responds to reports of fans getting into England v Croatia without a ticket
Reports, citing eyewitnesses at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, said scores of fans had breached security and entered the venue without any sort of check.
One witness told Mail Sport: “There were big gaps at the side of the ticket barriers and people just strolled through. There were volunteers who were basically old ladies and they weren’t stopping anyone.”
A spokesperson for Fifa said: “At this stage, we have no indication of fans entering the stadium without a valid match ticket for the game in question.”
Will Castle18 June 2026 07:30