Will the Three Lions gain a fresh boost of confidence?
One day before the official start of the World Cup, the English national soccer team—whose first group stage match isn’t scheduled until Wednesday, June 17—will play its final friendly in Orlando. Basically, when it comes to England vs. Costa Rica, betting on a Three Lions victory seems like the only real option, as Los Ticos are in the midst of a deep crisis. The Costa Rican squad failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup because they managed only a single victory in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers, where they were in a four-team group with Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Overall, Costa Rica has won only one of its last eleven international matches (seven draws, three losses) and even suffered heavy defeats in its last two friendlies against Iran (0-5) and Colombia (1-3). Against this backdrop, our prediction for England vs. Costa Rica is another victory for the Three Lions.
After the English national soccer team had marched through World Cup qualifying in a downright intimidating fashion with 24 out of a possible 24 points and a 22-0 goal difference, Tuchel’s squad suffered two setbacks during the international break in March when they failed to secure wins against Uruguay (1-1) and Japan (0-1).
However, the Three Lions at least won their final test match against New Zealand last Saturday with a clean sheet (1-0). Even now, our prediction is that the English will secure a shutout victory against Los Ticos.
After Thomas Tuchel rotated his lineup extensively in the aforementioned friendly against New Zealand—substituting all eleven players at halftime—we now expect a bit more consistency exactly one week before the Three Lions’ World Cup opener. While heavy rotation is conceivable again, it will likely only happen once a comfortable lead is secured. As a result, we expect the momentum to remain strong well into the second half.
England – Costa Rica Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head: 1 – 1 – 0
Two international matches have taken place between the two nations so far, and in both cases, England remained unbeaten and kept a clean sheet against Costa Rica.
While the first meeting in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil—when Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard played their final international matches for the Three Lions—ended in a scoreless draw, the English team prevailed 2-0 against Los Ticos four years later in a friendly match in Leeds.
England – Costa Rica Prediction
The Costa Rican team squandered their chance at a World Cup berth in the qualifiers against Haiti and have been in crisis ever since. Their most recent friendlies following the failed qualification campaign saw them concede a whopping ten goals in three matches (one draw, two losses)—including seven goals in matches against Jordan (2-2) and Iran (0-5).
It’s hard to imagine that Fernando Batista’s team, which is currently in a state of flux, will be able to keep up with the goal-hungry Three Lions of all teams. Los Ticos will therefore have to be careful not to get run over in Orlando.
To avoid a heavy defeat, Costa Rica must be much more disciplined defensively, which in turn is likely to come at the expense of their offense. Adding to the challenge is England’s rock-solid defense, which hasn’t conceded a single goal in their eight 2026 World Cup qualifiers and held firm again in their final warm-up match against New Zealand (1-0). Consequently, the odds are high that Tuchel’s squad can secure a clean-sheet victory.
