Nick Seddon previews Group L, featuring England, Croatia, Panama and Ghana.
World Cup 2026 Group L Preview: Three Lions to stroll to the knockouts
It’s now sixty years of hurt for England since their last World Cup triumph, and after Gareth Southgate’s reign came to an end, they have turned to a German to lead them to glory.
Reaching back-to-back European Championships finals shows that the Three Lions are at the top table, so is Thomas Tuchel the man to make the difference?
England are considered certainties to escape Group L, though Ghana, Panama and old foes Croatia will certainly have something to say about that.
World Cup 2026 Group L: World Rankings of each side
England – Ranked 4th
Croatia – Ranked 11th
Panama – Ranked 34th
Ghana – Ranked 73rd
World Cup 2026 Group L Fixtures – Listed in UK time
England v Croatia, Wednesday 17th June (9pm), Dallas
Ghana v Panama, Thursday 18th June (12am), Toronto
England v Ghana, Tuesday 23rd June (9pm), Boston
Panama v Croatia, Wednesday 24th June (12am), Toronto
Panama v England, Saturday 27th June (10pm), New Jersey
Croatia v Ghana, Saturday 27th June (10pm), Philadelphia
World Cup 2026 Group L: Team-by-Team Preview
England are heavy favourites to win this group, though Croatia have a habit of causing the Three Lions plenty of trouble. We’ve taken an in-depth look at each side for you below.
England (1.27)
The moment could finally be here for England, who are 7.55 third favourites behind Spain and France to lift the trophy. The Three Lions went close on several occasions under Gareth Southgate and new man Thomas Tuchel has been hired with one brief – win the World Cup.
It’s a hell of a KPI to be handed on your first day, though England boast one of the strongest squads in world football. Their depth is such that a whole host of household names have missed out on a seat on the plane, including Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer, who scored in the Euros final two years ago.
As usual, England sailed through their qualifying group and while the opposition was nothing to shout about, a thumping 5-0 victory in Belgrade gave a hint at this side’s ability. The main concern is a lack of bona fide top-tier opposition in the last couple of years, aggravated by the fact that the Three Lions suffered relegation in the Nations League under Southgate.
A lot was made of two poor warm-up results against Japan and Uruguay in March, but Tuchel’s men handled conditions fairly well when defeating New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida last week. Memories of the 2018 World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia still haunt us all, but England should navigate Group L comfortably, for all that they’re one of the biggest travellers in the group stage.
Croatia (3.45)
The sight of Croatia’s red and white chequered shirts are enough to invoke flashbacks to Steve McClaren and England’s disastrous Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, though there’s reason to think that the power dynamic has shifted.
Croatia are due to celebrate 35 years of independence later this month and they have built up a formidable record in that time, finishing third twice and reaching the final in 2018. They’re aiming to reach the last four or better for the third time in a row, though they will do so with one of the oldest squads at the tournament.
National captain and 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić is into his forties now but Vatreni still have plenty of quality, dropping just two points in qualifying. With England’s doomsayer from 2018 Mario Mandžukić now retired and top goalscorers Ivan Perišić (37) and Andrej Kramarić (34) both getting on, there’s concerns that Croatia will have enough to trouble the better sides as the tournament goes on.
Warm-up defeats to Brazil and Belgium did little to allay those fears, though Ghana and Panama are unlikely to prevent progression to the knockout stages.
Ghana (10.00)
Ghana have become regulars since first securing a spot at the 2006 tournament, only missing one finals since, and they’ll look to go a round better than their group stage exit in Qatar.
The Black Stars haven’t had the best period in their history of late, going out of the African Cup of Nations at the group stage in 2021 and 2023 and failing to qualify for Morocco entirely, though they saw off Madagascar and Mali to qualify comfortably.
It wasn’t the toughest of draws and the fact they have lost five of their six warm-up fixtures since then paints a clearer picture of where Ghana are on the world stage. They boast one of the most in-form players in the planet in Manchester City maestro Antoine Semenyo, but there’s little depth beyond that, with captain Jordan Ayew currently registered at League One Leicester.
The opening game against Panama feels key for Ghana, though with key man Thomas Partey unable to take part due to visa issues entering Canada, the result is far from a gimme. This is a poor generation and Ghana are in danger of propping up the group.
Panama (42.00)
Panama are due to make just their second appearance at the World Cup and they certainly won’t thank the super-computer that pitched them against England, seeing as they were pummelled 6-1 when they met the Three Lions in 2018.
There’s no doubt about the fact that Los Canaleros benefitted from the absence of the USA, Canada and Mexico in qualifying, finishing their campaign unbeaten but only needing to see off Guatemala, Suriname and El Salvador to do it.
Aside from Norwich City centre-back José Córdoba, Panama’s squad largely consists of players plying their trade across North and South America, though they have built a reputation of being a side that’s tough to break down. Expect feistiness, as England experienced in their warm-up against neighbours Costa Rica, and they’re no forlorn hopes to pip Ghana to third place.
Selections
Please note that the information provided in this FIFA World Cup 2026, June 13th Best Bets article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
18+ | BeGambleAware.org
