England vs Costa Rica LIVE: World Cup warm-up score, radio commentary, text updates and match stats

England and Costa Rica meet with a one-sided recent history and contrasting form going into the latest fixture. The two teams have faced each other only twice before. Their first meeting ended in a goalless draw at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, while England won the second encounter 2-0 in a June 2018 friendly thanks to goals from Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck.

England have been especially strong against CONCACAF opposition, remaining unbeaten in their last 16 internationals against teams from the region. That run includes 12 wins and four draws, with only four goals conceded. Their last defeat to a CONCACAF side came in June 1993, when they lost 2-0 to the United States. England have also dominated teams ranked outside FIFA’s top 50, winning their last 11 such matches by an aggregate score of 28-1. Costa Rica currently sit 52nd in the rankings, which adds to the challenge they face. England’s most recent loss to a side outside the top 50 came earlier in June 2024, when they were beaten 1-0 by Iceland.

Costa Rica arrive without a win in their last five matches in all competitions, with two draws and three defeats. Before that, they had been unbeaten in 10 straight games, showing a marked decline in results. Their record against UEFA opposition has also been poor in recent years. Since a 3-0 friendly victory over Northern Ireland in June 2018, Costa Rica have gone seven games without a win against European teams, collecting two draws and five losses. During that spell they have conceded 20 goals, including heavy defeats at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when they lost 7-0 to Spain and 4-2 to Germany.

England’s record before major tournaments is another positive indicator. In their 16 previous appearances at the FIFA World Cup finals, they have lost their final match before the tournament only once, a 7-1 friendly defeat to Hungary before the 1954 edition. That suggests Gareth Southgate’s side typically head into World Cup campaigns in good shape.

Harry Kane remains one of England’s biggest attacking threats. The captain has scored 11 goals in his last 11 appearances for the national team across all competitions. This match could also be his first international appearance against Costa Rica. Kane has already scored against 35 different nations for England, at least seven more than any other player in the squad.

For Costa Rica, Josimar Alcócer is one to watch. He assisted Andrey Soto’s goal in the recent 3-1 defeat to Colombia and has shown strong attacking intent at club level, attempting the third-most take-ons in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League this season. He has also been among the more active players in creating shooting opportunities after dribbles, underlining his ability to carry the ball and trouble defenders.