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Arun - June 5, 2026
Group L brings together two of the tournament’s most storied nations in England and Croatia, then a Ghana side with more Premier League quality than most expect and a Panama team making only their second World Cup appearance.
England are the favourites and the pressure is on Thomas Tuchel’s squad is enormous.
Croatia have Luka Modric at 40 making his record-equalling fifth World Cup appearance. While Ghana have Antoine Semenyo and Mohammed Kudus and a new manager installed 72 days before the tournament.
Panama have qualified for the second time in their history and intend to make it count. For all our World Cup 2026 predictions and analysis visit LeagueLane.
England arrive at this tournament as genuine favourites for the first time since 1966 and the weight of that billing is the biggest challenge Tuchel faces. The squad is outstanding. Harry Kane at Bayern Munich is one of the best strikers in the world. Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid is given the iconic number 10. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are two of the best players in European football. The depth across every position gives Tuchel options that most managers would envy.
The notable omissions caused debate. Cole Palmer was left out. Phil Foden was left out. Both are among England’s most creative players. Tuchel has explained his reasoning around squad balance and fitness but the decisions created noise that England could do without heading into their opener. Marcus Rashford, on loan at Barcelona, wears the number 11 and appears set to start from the left. Anthony Gordon plays for Barcelona. Jordan Henderson makes a record-equalling fourth World Cup appearance at Brentford. The squad is deep even by England’s recent standards.
Prediction: England under Thomas Tuchel is a tactically disciplined side and they are poised to top Group L. Truth to be told, the quality gap between them and Croatia, Ghana and Panama is significant.
Croatia come to this tournament knowing it is the end of an era. Luka Modric is 40 years old, plays for AC Milan and makes his record-equalling fifth World Cup appearance.
He sits alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only male footballers to have played in five World Cups. He could reach 200 caps during this tournament.
This is his final major stage and everything Croatia does in Group L will be built around making his last World Cup worthy of his career.
The squad around him is full of quality. Josko Gvardiol at Manchester City is one of the best defenders in the world when fit. He returns from a fractured shin suffered in January and played his first game back on May 14.
Mateo Kovacic at Manchester City provides quality in central midfield. Ivan Perisic at PSV, Andrej Kramaric at Hoffenheim and Ante Budimir at Osasuna give Croatia experienced attacking options.
The younger generation of Luka Sucic, Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina are the players Dalic is building toward the future. The England game on June 17 in Dallas is the one Croatia will circle as the defining game of their group.
Prediction: Croatia to finish second in group B and they have the experience, the tactical discipline and the motivation of Modric’s farewell to push England close and see off Ghana and Panama.
Ghana carries a strange energy into this tournament. They qualified brilliantly under Otto Addo, finishing top of their CAF group with 23 goals scored and just six conceded. Then Addo was sacked in March after losses to Germany and Austria in friendlies.
Carlos Queiroz, 73, was appointed 72 days before the tournament. The former Manchester United assistant manager and widely travelled international coach has managed Portugal, Iran, South Africa and others. He described this as the most formidable challenge of his 43-year career.
The squad has genuine quality. Antoine Semenyo, who moved from Bournemouth to Manchester City in the summer, is one of the most exciting forwards in the Premier League. Mohammed Kudus at Tottenham is a creative midfielder and forward capable of the spectacular.
Inaki Williams at Athletic Club gives Ghana a physical presence and an eye for goal. Jordan Ayew at Leicester captains the side. Thomas Partey provides the defensive midfield platform.
The managerial change is the concern. Queiroz has two months to understand a squad someone else built and implement a system in time for a World Cup opener against Panama.
Prediction: Ghana finish third and they can beat Panama and push Croatia. The England game is too big a step. But with Semenyo and Kudus in form, Ghana are the most dangerous third-place team in this group.
Panama make their second World Cup appearance eight years after their debut in Russia 2018, where they went home without a point. They have improved significantly since. The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup finalists.
The 2025 Nations League finalists. A squad built around a core of experienced players with captain Anibal Godoy holding a national record 157 caps. Thomas Christiansen, the Spanish-Danish manager who has been with Panama longer than any previous coach in their history, has built something durable.
The squad is predominantly based in MLS and Latin American leagues. Their most significant player at European level is Michael Amir Murillo at Nottingham Forest. The notable omission is 18-year-old Kadir Barria of Botafogo, whose absence caused debate at the squad announcement.
Christiansen chose experience over youth. The Panama opener against Ghana on June 17 in Toronto is their most realistic chance of a point. They will defend deep against England and Croatia and look for the counterattack. The goal is to win a first ever World Cup game and leave this tournament with something to show for it.
Prediction: Panama finish fourth. The quality gap against all three opponents is too wide across 90 minutes. But they will be organised, physically formidable and capable of making every game uncomfortable.
England should win this group. The squad Tuchel has assembled is deep, talented and built around a genuine belief that this is the year the 60-year wait for a second world title ends.
But the Croatia opener on June 17 in Dallas sets the tone. Croatia knocked England out of the 2018 World Cup. They will want to do it again.
Ghana are no pushover with the Premier League quality they carry in attack. Panama will make the Panama-England game in New York on June 27 far more difficult than the 6-1 thrashing in 2018.
Croatia finish second in the group on the back of Modric’s leadership and Dalic’s tournament experience. They know how to manage games. They know how to win when it matters.
The Ghana game on June 27 in Philadelphia is the one that decides second place and Croatia have the tactical maturity to win it regardless of what is at stake.
Ghana go home with their heads held high having shown the world what Semenyo and Kudus can do. The Queiroz appointment is the wild card that makes Ghana either dangerous or disorganised depending on how quickly the squad adapts.
For a betting angle, back Kane to be England’s top scorer in the group stage. He arrives in outstanding form from Bayern Munich and faces a Ghana defence missing Mohammed Salisu and a Panama side that has never won a World Cup game. The price should be generous.
