England vs Costa Rica prediction 10.06.2026 | Friendly match

Although viewed as one of the giants of international football, England have only one major trophy to their name, having lifted the World Cup just once, back in 1966. The fans are hoping that the title is finally coming home, but the upcoming road could be very bumpy. Their group seems challenging with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, but still, it would be a major shock if they miss the knockout phase. 

England lost only one of the last nine matches. However, they could hardly be satisfied with three games in 2026. A draw against Uruguay, a defeat against Japan, and only a 1-0 victory in the most recent test against New Zealand don't provide nearly enough optimism. After three unconvincing games, Thomas Tuchel and his squad will want to crush Costa Rica on Wednesday and raise confidence around the squad. 

Thomas Tuchel left Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, and Trent Alexander-Arnold out of the World Cup squad, and a possible World Cup disappointment could be catastrophic for the head coach. Thomas Tuchel even recently said that Jude Bellingham doesn't have a guaranteed spot in the starting eleven, as he thinks they have 14 or 15 starters. It is never easy to be England's manager, and Thomas Tuchel experiences that at every step and with every decision. 

After three consecutive World Cup appearances, Costa Rica failed to qualify. They have gone through a rough last 12 months with only one victory in the last nine matches. A few days ago, Fernando Batista's team lost 3-1 on the road against Colombia. In that game, Costa Rica had big problems on defense, which seems to be the biggest issue the national team has had for some time.

Costa Rica's head coach, Fernando Batista, was clear that he is using the June matches to test his team. He said, "We are in a period of transformation and reconstruction. This is a new squad following the qualifying campaign in which we failed to reach the World Cup. Right now, we're thinking about the next qualifying cycle. This World Cup hasn't even started yet, and we're already thinking about the next one. What really matters for us begins in September, and then next year with the new CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers."