Costa Rica faces England on Wednesday afternoon at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, in one of La Sele’s most high-profile friendly matches in years. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, 2:00 p.m. in Costa Rica and 9:00 p.m. in the United Kingdom. The Tico Times will have a photographer at the stadium for full coverage from Orlando, including match photos and postgame analysis.
For England, the match is a final warm-up before the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins Thursday in Mexico City. Thomas Tuchel’s team arrives in Florida with one more chance to test its shape, settle its lineup and sharpen a squad expected to be among the tournament’s strongest.
England defeated New Zealand 1-0 on Saturday, with Harry Kane scoring the only goal. The result gave England another win before the World Cup, but the performance left Tuchel with decisions still to make before the competitive matches begin.
For Costa Rica, the meaning is different. La Sele enters the match outside the World Cup field and still trying to move forward after a painful qualifying failure. The tournament will be played across North America, close enough for Costa Rican fans to feel what was missed. Instead of preparing for group-stage matches, Costa Rica is using this June window to begin the work of rebuilding.
Fernando Batista, appointed earlier this year after the departure of Miguel Herrera, now has a difficult early test. Facing England days before the World Cup gives Costa Rica a clear measure of where the team stands against elite opposition.
England’s squad includes Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and other players from some of Europe’s top clubs. Costa Rica will need discipline, organization and a sharp defensive performance to stay in the match. It will also need to show more personality going forward than it did during parts of its failed qualifying campaign.
The match also brings back memories of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when Costa Rica’s golden generation, led by Jorge Luis Pinto, held England to a scoreless draw before reaching the quarterfinals. That run remains one of the greatest achievements in Costa Rican football history.
The context in Orlando is very different. Costa Rica is no longer the surprise team of a World Cup. It is a national team looking for a new identity, new leaders and a clearer path forward. A strong performance against England would not erase the disappointment of missing the tournament, but it would give Batista and his players something positive to build on.
Inter&Co Stadium, home of Orlando City in Major League Soccer, should give the match a tighter feel than the larger NFL venues often used for international games in the United States. The Orlando area also has a large Latin American community, which should give La Sele support in the stands despite England’s global following.
For Costa Rican fans, the timing adds weight to the match. The World Cup begins one day later while La Sele watches from outside the tournament. That makes Wednesday’s performance matter more than a typical friendly. It is a chance for Costa Rica to show pride, compete against one of the sport’s strongest teams and offer supporters a sign that the rebuild has started.
The Tico Times will publish full match coverage, photographs and analysis from Orlando after the final whistle.
