England vs New Zealand prediction 06.06.2026 | Friendly International

England, the EURO 2024 runner-up, are one of the main candidates for the World Cup title. Before the start of the tournament, they are considered by the bookies as the 3rd-favorite for the title behind two other European teams, Spain and France. In the World Cup Qualifiers, England absolutely dominated Group K, winning all eight matches with an incredible combined goal difference of 22:0! To be fair, the group wasn't too challenging, but the record is impressive regardless. After the Qualifiers, they underperformed against Uruguay and Japan, winning just one point, but played those games with a rotated squad. Now, we believe they will want to build momentum and start winning games before the WC. 

In recent interviews, coach Thomas Tuchel spoke about the upcoming tournament. He said they are good enough to win the World Cup. The coach spoke about leaving out several high-profile names, insisting that he selected players who best fit his tactical ideas and the team's mentality. 

New Zealand managed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time ever and the first time since 2010 in South Africa. The popular "All Whites" had a pretty easy route in the Qualifiers, eventually securing their place by beating Fiji and New Caledonia, ranked 154th and 151st on the FIFA World Ranking List. After securing the WC, they had an atrocious preparation period, facing good teams and losing 8 of 10 friendlies. They are considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament, and no one really believes they can advance to the next phase of the competition.

Recently, coach Darren Bazeley spoke about the upcoming tournament. He said they are aiming to make history and that they want to go beyond simply qualifying for the World Cup. The coach singled out Chris Wood as their key player, but stressed that the success depends on collective effort.