England vs Costa Rica live online: weather delays kickoff, updates, score, goals and highlights | International Friendly

They needed the entire first half to put one past New Zealand, but England have come out much more intent here in the first 10 minutes. 

Anderson put in a ball to the back post and Kane went down but the ref wants nothing to do with appeals for a penalty in the area. 

Madueke's corner bounced in a dangerous area of the box, but no one could get to the end of it and Costa Rica will breath easy for just a moment. 

Bellingham with the first chance of the match. He scaled the top of the area before letting a shot go that needed a deflection to send it out for a corner kick. Early chance for England, and you have to think there is more of that to come this afternoon. 

England just starting to settle in now after a stop-start first couple minutes. They figure to have plenty of the ball, but can they get things going on each touchline. They were a bit narrow in their match against New Zealand. 

Physical match so far. Both teams committing some early fouls as the players get settled. Maybe a little bit of angst to get this game started, and that's dictated this first few minutes. 

Alcocer got stepped on by James in an exchange in the middle of the park. He's going to take his time getting up after grabbing at his wrist. 

England are in their classic white kits. Must say the Nike kits are sharp for this edition of the World Cup. Nothing too flashy, but classic with a bit of a modern edge. 

After a little more than an hour delay, we are underway in this final tune up for the Three Lions!

England's 4-2-3-1

It's Pickford in goal with James, Konsa, Stones and O´Reilly in the back. Anderson and Rice will patrol the middle with Madueke, Bellingham and Gordon in the attacking midfield with Kane up top for Tuchel. 

Game on

Ok. It's official. The players are coming out of the tunnel and we are going to get going here from Orlando in just a few minutes. There is a threat of some more rainy weather entering the premise, but let's cross our fingers that no more delays are in store. 

Tuchel speaks about weather

Coach Tuchel is getting a first taste of the weather issues that hover around this World Cup. He doesn't seems too phased about the delay.  "It gives us a little taste of what can happen in the tournament. We were aware of that before, now we experience it. It's no problem. It should not be an excuse to lose our mood or patience or to lose our hunger to play the game."

Things look like they are clearing up in Orlando. The players have at least had the chance to go and check out just how soggy the pitch is. How that effects play remains to be seen. 

The challengers

Thomas Tuchel has made a bold statement ahead of the start of the World Cup. He says that his side are the competitors, the challengers to the favorites of the World Cup. “We see ourselves as competitors and challengers. We want to go all the way but I don't think we are the heavy favourites.” Tuchel continued: "Maybe it's the wrong comparison, but if you go to Wimbledon and haven't won it for 60 years, you're not the favourites - but you can win it, of course. That's what we want to do.

The other friendly on today

Portugal and Nigeria are currently playing in a non delayed match, and the Portuguese side have taken the lead over Nigeria with a Pedro Neto goal. Portugal are figured to be one of the favorites in this World Cup, let's see if they can keep up the good form before starting their World Cup campaign. 

World Cup takes over social media

The tournament has not even begun and there is already some great stuff being posted on social media. One of my favorites is the people from all over the world living the Americana life. Food, culture and lifestyle is seeming to quite the impact the visitors, especially in the heartland.

Where to watch ENG-CR

All the World Cup action can be seen on FOX and it's affiliates, and tonight is no different. FS2 will be broadcasting tonight's match if you would like to watch while following along with our live coverage. 

The England side are in the building, but how long will it be before they can take the pitch on what is sure to be a water logged afternoon from Orlando?

Costa Rica XI

Los Ticos have announced their XI for this final friendly before heading back home and watching the World Cup from their home country. It has to be a bitter feeling knowing they will be out of action after being a part of the last four World Cups. 

First WC26 game due for delay?

I did just take a look at Ciudad de Mexico's weather for tomorrow's kickoff to the World Cup out of morbid curiosity, and it's supposed to rain at Estadio Azteca. Let's just hope that it won't be as bad as it is in Orlando today. 

FIFA World Rankings  

England come into this tournament as one of the favorites, and when you look at their squad you start to understand why. They have won just one of their last three matches, coming in a 1-0 victory over New Zealand just a few days ago. Despite a dip in form, they are still ranked fourth in the official FIFA World Rankings. Defending champions, Argentina are ranked first with champions of the Euros, Spain, in second. France is third and then it’s the Three Lions. 

World Cup favorites  

The FIFA Rankings don't exactly paint a picture of who the favorite to win it all is coming into the World Cup. England stay at the fourth spot in the odds to win, while Argentina drop down to the fifth spot and Spain takes a slight edge on France as the favorites to win it all. Portugal have a fantastic team and will be looking to win their first World Cup ever. They have the third best chance according to the markets. Brazil, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium round out the list of favorites. Only eight teams have ever won the World Cup, and six of those are on the favorites list. Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium have a chance to join the list of World Cup winners, but as you can see, the odds aren’t exactly with them. 

Kickoff pushed back

We have just got word that the weather has pushed the game back to 5 p.m. ET, an hour after kick off was scheduled. The pitch is used to heavy rain but it's the lightening that has complicated things in Orlando. 

Is it coming home? 

“It's coming home” how many times are we bound to hear Brits say that over the next month? How many times have we heard them say that in the past might be the more proper question? England are never short on belief. They know that it has been way too long since their one and only World Cup title sixty years ago. That expectation, that belief and that demand from the fans only puts more pressure on a team that has been close to winning a major title, but have fallen short over the span of the last 8 years. They went to the semis in Russia in 2018 but lost to Croatia in ET. They were in the quarters in Qatar, but lost to France 2-1. They were runners up in the last two editions of the Euros, and they have to be thinking that this could be their time to bring it home. 

England's Group A schedule 

England’s World Cup campaign starts with a bang. They have been placed in Group L with Panama (34th in FIFA Rankings), Ghana (73rd in FIFA Rankings) and Croatia (11th in FIFA Rankings). Their first game is maybe one of the juiciest match ups of the group stages. They take on a Croatia team that knows what it takes to win big games in the World Cup. It may not be the same team as eight years ago, but they always pose a threat. 

- June 17: England vs. Croatia (Arlington, Texas) | 4 p.m. ET

- June 23: England vs. Ghana (Foxboro, Massachusetts) 4 p.m. ET

- June 27: Panama vs. England (East Rutherford, New Jersey) 5 p.m. ET

Word out of Orlando is that there will be a 20 minute delay to the start of the match, at least. We are on high alert after fans were told via the big screens at Inter&Co Stadium to take shelter. If there are any more delays, we will be the first to let you know. 

Hey Jude? 

What is going on with Jude Bellingham? That's one of the burning questions behind the scenes at the Three Lions camp. Thomas Tuchel brought him off the bench in the last match against New Zealand, and the manager said as recently as a few days ago that Jude is going to have to fight for his spot in the starting XI. “These roles can always change, but at the moment I think there are 14 or 15 proper starters and Jude is one of them,” said of the Real Madrid star. The two have had spats in the past, but they are looking to put the past in the rear view and focus all of their energy on leading this side back to the promise land after six decades. 

England vs. Florida heat 

It's June in Orlando. If you have ever been there around this time you know. It’s hot. That’s what the players from this England side are finding out, and it’s going to have to something they fight against as they prepare to make a run deep into this World Cup. They have been training in Palm Beach Gardens, which is even further south of Orlando and even hotter. That’s the bad news. The good news is their group stage matches are going to played in cooler conditions. Their game in Arlington, TX will be indoors which means they won’t have to deal with the brutal Texas summer sun. Then they go to Foxborough in New England where it is sure to be cooler than in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. 

England Squad 

Thomas Tuchel brought one of the biggest squad lists into the final international break before the World Cup. He had a massive list of players to trim down before announcing his final list. There were some controversial names left off the list. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and and Phil Foden were all left of the list and there are some names that might have surprised even the biggest England supporters. Tuchel is putting his neck on the line, and is looking to return England to World Cup glory with this 26 man squad. 

England XI

We may have a weather delay, but Thomas Tuchel has his XI set already. Bellingham and Kane are the big names in the first 11 for the Three Lions with Gordon and Madueke out wide. How much will this reflect the first XI Tuchel will use against Croatia in a week's time?

Star watch: Costa Rica 

If I'm being honest with you, there aren’t a whole lot of players that ring a bell on the Costa Rica side. This isn’t the same squad of the last three editions that had some players in top sides throughout Europe sprinkled throughout the team. Warren Madrigal plays for Nashville FC and he’s got three goals with the national team this season. Orlando Galo of Riga FC and Manfred Ugalde of Spartak Moscow are the other danger men with three goals a piece, but there is not much bite in this attack. 

Star watch: England 

This is one of the most talented squads heading to the World Cup. Talent doesn't always translate to success, but Thomas Tuchel’s side has all the ingredients to make a run in this edition of the World Cup. Harry Kane was the most prolific goal scorer this season, with 36 goals in the Bundesliga and another 14 in 13 Champions League matches. He is going to be the one driving the ship for England, but in the midfield and on the wings he will have plenty of help. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon will give this squad plenty of width, and Decland Rice and Jude Bellingham in the middle of the park should balance this team who may have one or two liabilities on the back line. 

Last match: Costa Rica 

Costa Rica served as preparation for another World Cup hopeful last week when they took on Colombia, and struggled against a team that was in full force in the lead up to kicking off their World Cup campaign. Nestor Lorenzo's side got off to a quick start, scoring two first half goals from Davinson Sanchez and Luis Diaz. Los Ticos’ Andrey Soto pulled one back right after the half hour mark, but that’s all that Costa Rica could muster. Colombia dipped into their bench after halftime, and were still able to extend the lead with a 3-1 scored by Luis Suarez in the 81st minute. 

Last match: England 

The Three Lions took on another World Cup side on Saturday, but they didn't look all too convincing against a New Zealand team ranked 85th in the FIFA World Rankings. Tuchel fielded a strong side with Harry Kane, and Marcus Rashford in the XI along with Marc Guehi and John Stones in the back, but there wasn’t much in terms of brilliance from England. Kane scored a goal in stoppage time of the first half, Tuchel made plenty of subs in the second half, but there wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about. Tuchel will most likely tinker with the XI today, but we really won’t get an idea of his ideal eleven until the opening game of the World Cup. 

We are live from Inter&Co Stadium 

Hello everyone and welcome to Orlando, Florida where the Three Lions have been in World Cup mode for quite some time now. They have one more order of business before they can turn their attention to the first match of their World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Croatia. The run up to the World Cup has been less than impressive, and tonight they will be hoping to ease some of the nerves of fans back home who have seen this team win just one of their last three matches. This will be one of the most heavily watched teams in the tournament, with big stars, big stories and big expectations England is sure to be in the spot light over the next month.

England vs. Costa Rica live  

The World Cup starts tomorrow, but before we kick off the biggest event of the summer we have one more tune up to keep a close eye on, and it involves one of the favorites to win it all. Thomas Tuchel's England side take on Costa Rica as we get one last look at the Three Lions before they embark on their quest the bring it home. AS English will be with you all afternoon providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of today’s final friendly before the serious action starts tomorrow.