Gary Neville has described England's second-half performance against Croatia as the finest football on display at the 2026 World Cup so far — but the former Manchester United defender is not ready to install Thomas Tuchel's side as outright favourites, insisting France remain the team to beat.

England came from behind a turbulent first half to defeat Croatia 4-2 in their Group L opener, and it was the spell immediately after the break that drew the highest praise from Neville.

"The way in which England played in that first 10, 15 minutes of the second half was probably the best 10, 15 minutes we've seen from any team in the tournament so far," Neville told Sky Sports News.

He was quick to temper expectations, however, adding: "That's not to get carried away because I know there's a long way to go and a game of football isn't over 10 or 15 minutes. It was really brave, it was a good night for him, the team in the second half were fantastic, it was a good performance."

Tuchel's bold substitutions draw approval

Neville reserved particular praise for manager Thomas Tuchel's in-game decision-making, especially a triple substitution made while England led 3-2 — a move that included shifting Jude Bellingham back into central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson.

"The volume of substitutions, three of them all at once, but also putting Jude Bellingham back into central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson was a really attacking move. Not many managers would do that," Neville said.

France still Neville's pick to lift the trophy

Despite England's bright opening, Neville held firm on his pre-tournament assessment, naming France as the most likely winners.

"I said France before the tournament that I thought they would win it. I'm not going to change that now. I don't think we've seen enough yet. It's too early in the tournament and it's certainly too early to say that England are going to go and win it," he said.

Kane the lone world-class player, Bellingham a superstar

Neville was effusive in his praise for captain Harry Kane, who scored in the Croatia victory and was described as England's only genuinely world-class player.

"There are some great strikers who have played for England over the last 100 years but he is so special. He's genuinely, I do believe right now, the only world-class player we have. Harry Kane is there. He's absolutely on top of that mountain right now. Collectively England are strong, they're very strong."

Bellingham also earned glowing reviews, with Neville noting the Real Madrid midfielder's composure even before kick-off.

"He is a superstar. Watching him in the tunnel before the game, he looked so relaxed, like he belongs, like this is something that he does every single day very easily. Whether he was playing in that No 10 role, whether he was playing a little bit deeper towards the end, he was outstanding and arguably England's best player."

England now turn their attention to Ghana in their second Group L match, with Tuchel's side eager to back up their encouraging start and take a stride toward the knockout rounds.