England Final Score
England signed off in Orlando with exactly the sort of tidy night Tuchel wanted.
England beat Costa Rica 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium on June 10, 2026, with Declan Rice striking early, Anthony Gordon adding a penalty after the break, and Ollie Watkins finishing it late. It was not a chaotic send-off or a soft one either. England controlled long stretches, created enough without forcing the issue, and left Florida with the Croatia opener properly in view.
Rice settled it early, and from there England looked like a side keen to keep the evening under control.
Rice's goal after nine minutes gave England the sort of start that lets everybody breathe. Costa Rica never really dragged the match into a scrap after that. England kept finding the free man, Gordon kept making the left side feel live, and by the time Watkins made it three late on, the match had already gone where the home support in Orlando expected.
That does not mean it was empty warm-up noise. The useful part of this result is where it came from. Rice and Bellingham gave England control through the middle, Gordon kept asking the right question of the full-back, and Watkins came off the bench to finish the night with proper intent. Those are tournament details, not friendlies-for-the-sake-of-it details.
The scoreline was clear, but the shape of the win matters more.
England were ahead through Rice on nine minutes, Gordon converted the penalty on 68 minutes, and Watkins wrapped it up on 87. That is the verified scoring line, but the broader point is that England were the side driving the tempo. They were not hanging around waiting for Kane to bail them out. The midfield carried the evening, and the forwards arrived on top of that rather than in place of it.
That is why this felt like a useful final rehearsal. Tuchel does not need perfection in June; he needs clarity. England looked far more interested in clean spacing, quick circulation, and getting runners into the right lanes than in turning the night into an exhibition. Against Costa Rica, that was enough to make the scoreline feel fair.
England 3-0 Costa Rica in Orlando. Declan Rice scored on 9 minutes, Anthony Gordon added a penalty on 68 minutes, and Ollie Watkins finished it on 87 before the June 17 World Cup opener against Croatia.
What matters next
England now move to Arlington for Croatia on June 17 at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. UTC-5. That is a different level of match entirely. Croatia will ask harder questions around second balls, pace of circulation, and whether England can keep the same control when the game stops being one-way.
Keep the England schedule page close for the Croatia kickoff and the rest of Group L. The wider England team hub and England squad page stay connected for the bigger tournament picture.
Match Timeline