England’s 2018 World Cup journey marked a defining chapter in the modern era of the Three Lions.

For the first time since 1990, England were just 90 minutes away from reaching the World Cup final when they faced Croatia in Moscow.

A 2-1 defeat after extra time ended the nation’s hopes of ending a trophy drought that has now stretched into its sixth decade. As England complete their preparations for this summer’s tournament in North America, they are set to encounter a familiar opponent in the group stage.

Jordan Pickford, who was making his major tournament debut for England at the 2018 World Cup, is now a seasoned campaigner for the Three Lions and will be aiming for his fifth major international competition this summer.

The Everton goalkeeper set a new record for most tournament appearances by an England keeper during Euro 2024, having featured 26 times in major competitions. He will once again be one of Thomas Tuchel’s key players this summer.

This time, England will open their Group L campaign against Croatia, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama. Pickford is confident that England have what it takes to progress smoothly to the knockout rounds.

“Of course,” Pickford told FourFourTwo. “We go there aiming to win every game and build momentum through the group stage.”

He continued, “Every team in the tournament has earned its place, so we know every match will be challenging. We just have to perform at our best every time we step on the pitch.”

However, it’s the rematch against Croatia on July 17 that stands out as one of the most anticipated fixtures for England fans.

When the two sides met at the Luzhniki Stadium in 2018, Gareth Southgate’s team took an early lead within five minutes, courtesy of a Kieran Trippier free-kick. But with 20 minutes left, Ivan Perisic equalised, forcing the game into extra time.

Mario Mandzukic then scored the decisive goal in extra time, sending Croatia to their first-ever World Cup final. Pickford admits that the upcoming encounter will stir up memories from that night in Moscow.

“When Tripps scored that free-kick, it was an incredible moment, but we just couldn’t get the second goal to finish the game off and put the pressure on,” he recalled.

“Then they managed to turn things around and did enough to win it.”