In the final group of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we have a European giant looking to end a 60-year wait for a second World Cup, another European side whose fabled golden generation is on its last legs, an African behemoth looking to bring back the good old days, and a Central American underdog who has arrived at this stage for just the second time.
All this makes for a rather fascinating and tantalising group, one that has the capability of producing many interesting subplots.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, comprising England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
The Three Lions had a smooth and comfortable qualifying campaign, where a lot of their players were tried and tested under new head coach Thomas Tuchel.
England sealed their spot in the tournament by going through their entire qualifying group without dropping a point, winning all eight games without conceding a single goal. England have had a promising run in international tournaments of late, but they will want to get over the hump and win this one after falling short in recent tournaments.
The Croatians continue to be a model of stability and continuity under head coach Zlatko Dalic. They too had a straightforward path to this World Cup, finishing unbeaten in their qualifying group and securing top spot to go through.
After second- and third-place finishes in the 2018 and the 2022 editions, respectively, could this be the year that the Kockasti finally reach the promised land?
The Black Stars overcame the pain and embarrassment of not qualifying for the 2025 AFCON by qualifying for the World Cup. They were the toppers of their qualifying group, securing 25 points courtesy of eight wins, one draw, and a solitary defeat.
Ever since their memorable quarter-final run at the 2010 World Cup, Ghana have never made it out of the group stage and failed to qualify for the 2018 edition altogether. The consensus this time around is that they can break their group-stage jinx and qualify for the knockouts after 16 years.
Panama sealed their spot for a second appearance at the men’s World Cup finals, having made their debut in the 2018 edition, which was held in Russia.
Los Canaleros secured qualification after topping their CONCACAF group in the third round of their qualifying campaign.
No team arguably had as vast a media coverage as England in the aftermath of their World Cup squad announcement, with the spotlight on head coach Thomas Tuchel ever so increased. On one hand, it shows how talented and deep the England squad is, given that stars like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Adam Wharton have been left out. But at the same time, it also highlights that Tuchel is not looking at reputations and star power.
Despite the absent names, the current squad has ample high-quality options for Tuchel to choose from: arguably the world’s best striker in Harry Kane, midfield superstars Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, the wing play of Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, and the defensive axis of Marc Guéhi and Ezri Konsa. There have been widespread criticisms of Tuchel’s style of play, many deeming it too slow, laborious, and boring, but if that brings home a World Cup, no one will care.
Meanwhile, Croatia have once again gone with their same trusted batch of veterans who have been there since time immemorial. Luka Modric continues to bamboozle at the young age of 40, while the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, Ante Budimir, Andrej Kramaric, and Mario Pasalic are set for one more hurrah at the grandest stage of them all. Expect something of a passing of the baton to the next generation of stars, with the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Luka Vuskovic, Martin Baturina, Petar Sucic, and Luka Sucic ready to take over.
Elsewhere, Ghana will be relying on their star wide men Antoine Semenyo and Iñaki Williams for a lot of their attacking prowess. Under coach Otto Addo, there is a lot of flexibility from a tactical standpoint, with him not hesitant to use a five-man or a four-man defence depending on the opposition. Calling it “fufu”, he picks the line-up based on the opponents, while strongly focusing on pragmatism and fluid transitions.
Lastly, Panama will fancy themselves as the plucky underdogs who can pack a punch and upset the established order. They are not the same side they were eight years ago, and if their recent friendly against Brazil was anything to go by, they are much more attack-oriented and coordinated in their pressing intensity.
This is arguably the closest group to call in terms of quality. While England have an obvious advantage in terms of talent, their style of play has not convinced many fans, and they could find themselves momentarily vulnerable against Ghana’s speed and Croatia’s discipline and organisation.
Despite that, you have got to feel that England will eventually finish as group winners, with Croatia edging what will be a fiercely fought battle for second place between them and Ghana. Panama will round out the group standings at the bottom, despite all the progress they’ve made since the last time they were at this stage.
England (1st)
Croatia (2nd)
Ghana (3rd)
Panama (4th)
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