England vs Costa Rica Prediction
🔊 The “Inter&Co Stadium” in Orlando will host a rare encounter between two sides whose paths seldom cross. With just a week remaining before the start of the World Cup, England are fine-tuning their preparations ahead of their opening clash against Croatia. Costa Rica, hampered by significant squad absences, have traveled to Florida to provide the opposition. Can Los Ticos avoid a heavy defeat?
Head-to-Head
📊 These national teams have crossed paths before in the build-up to a World Cup. Ahead of the tournament in Russia, England secured a 2-0 win in a friendly at Elland Road, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
England Team Overview
Thomas Tuchel’s side head into their final warm-up after a narrow win over New Zealand (1-0), a result that raised more questions than answers. Harry Kane’s goal in the dying moments of the first half was the lone highlight in a match where the Three Lions looked sluggish and uninspired. Despite registering 23 shots, their expected goals (xG) tally stood at just 1.49-hardly a convincing attacking display.
Tuchel rotated his squad between halves but was left dissatisfied with the overall performance. The German manager has vowed to field a lineup as close as possible to the one set to start the World Cup opener against Croatia. England are in desperate need of a statement performance, as they have yet to deliver one in 2026. They failed to beat either Uruguay (1-1) or Japan (0-1) at Wembley earlier this year.
Match Results: England
Costa Rica Team Overview
Fernando Batista’s side currently sit 51st in the FIFA rankings and have hardly set the world alight. “Los Ticos” last celebrated a win back in October 2025, under the guidance of Miguel Herrera. Since Batista-who was dismissed by the Venezuela national team-took charge of Costa Rica in February, results have been nothing short of disastrous.
They made a decent start with a draw against Jordan (2-2), but things quickly unraveled with a heavy defeat to Iran (0-5) and a 1-3 loss to Colombia in their opening match of June. The root of Costa Rica’s struggles is painfully clear: a lack of quality in the squad, with no players featuring in Europe’s top five leagues. Their most valuable asset is Manfred Ugalde of Spartak Moscow, valued at €15 million.
Match Results: Costa Rica
Latest news
England
✔ Four Arsenal players - Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze - sat out the match against New Zealand to recover after the Champions League final, but have now linked up with the squad. All players who featured against the New Zealanders came through unscathed.
Costa Rica
🚫 Alejandro Bran, Kenneth Vargas, and Warren Madrigal have been sent home from the national team camp due to disciplinary breaches. Police are currently investigating a shooting incident outside a bar involving Bran’s car. Alvaro Zamora has also been dropped from the squad, as he was set to get married and the coach felt he wouldn’t be fully focused on the match. Legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas was not called up, with Batista looking for a long-term replacement between the posts.
⚽ Goals Prediction
England underwhelmed against New Zealand, finding the net just once. However, with Rice, Saka, Eze, and Madueke now at Tuchel’s disposal, the attack promises much more variety. Costa Rica, who have conceded eight goals in their last two friendlies, look extremely vulnerable at the back. Tuchel has pledged to field a lineup close to his strongest, so we expect the Three Lions to score at least three times-a mark they haven’t reached since October. Our pick: England over 2.5 team goals at odds of 1.90*.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Against New Zealand, the inventors of football dominated and racked up eight corners; across their two March fixtures, they took 18. Costa Rica lack the defensive tools to contain the favourite’s attacking waves-under pressure, their defenders are likely to clear the ball out for corners time and again. England’s relentless attacks should lead to plenty of deliveries into the box, making over 6.5 corners for the designated home side at 1.96* a solid play. The Three Lions have hit this mark in six of their last seven friendlies.
*Odds are approximate and may vary depending on the bookmaker.
Editorial Prediction
This final friendly before the World Cup offers England a chance to move on from their uninspiring win over New Zealand and put on a show for the fans. For Tuchel, it’s not just about getting a result-it’s about delivering a confident victory to boost morale ahead of their clash with Croatia, especially with Arsenal’s Thomas now available for selection. Costa Rica’s defence, which has been leaking goals, will be under serious pressure here, and the signs point to a convincing win for England. All things considered, a rout looks likely. Our score prediction is 4-0, and our main bet is England to win with a -1.5 handicap.
Will this prediction come true?
Betting Tips: England - Costa Rica
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in 6 of last 7 games (Int. Friendly Games).Comparison of Teams Stats
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