England arrive as heavy favourites, Croatia carry the ghosts of greatness, Ghana bring the drama, and Panama bring the party. Group L runs from June 17 to June 27, 2026, and while it may lack the marquee names of some other quartets, it has everything else: history, tension, a genuine dark horse, and the kind of unpredictability that makes group stages worth watching.
Group L Teams
England
The eternal nearly-men with one last chance to prove otherwise
No national team carries its history quite like England. One World Cup title — 1966, on home soil, Geoff Hurst's hat-trick, a moment frozen in amber and replayed for six decades. Everything since has been a footnote to that afternoon at Wembley. Fourth place in 1990. The "hand of God" humiliation in 1986. David Beckham's red card in 1998. The 2010 capitulation against Germany. And then, briefly, 2018 — a semi-final, genuine optimism, Gareth Southgate's waistcoat. It ended in a bronze-medal defeat, but it felt like progress.
How they qualified
England won UEFA qualifying Group K with authority, securing their place on October 14, 2025. It was their 17th appearance at a World Cup finals — a record of consistent qualification that their knockout-round performances have rarely matched. Under their current setup, the squad rotation was smooth and the results convincing. No drama, no dropped points that mattered.
The squad
This is arguably the most talented England generation since the mid-2000s "golden generation" that never delivered. Harry Kane leads the line — a player whose club record at Bayern Munich is extraordinary, whose international goal tally is historic, and whose World Cup legacy remains frustratingly thin. Around him, the supporting cast is genuinely world-class.
Jude Bellingham operates in the kind of advanced midfield role that no England player has occupied with such authority since Paul Scholes. Phil Foden brings creativity and composure. Cole Palmer has emerged as one of the most technically gifted players in the Premier League. Kobbie Mainoo provides the defensive intelligence to allow those players to express themselves. At the back, Jordan Pickford remains the experienced option in goal, with a backline including Harry Maguire, Ben White, and Ezri Konsa offering solidity if not flair.
What to expect
England are not a team that wins ugly — when they are bad, they are frustratingly passive. But when Bellingham and Palmer are connecting, when Kane is dropping deep to link play and Foden is drifting inside from the left, they are capable of suffocating any opponent in this group. The concern, as always, is whether they can reproduce club-level performances in an international setup. They have the players. The question is whether the system gets the best from them — a question England have been asking themselves since 1967.
Croatia
The overachievers who refuse to be written off
Croatia's World Cup story is one of the great modern football narratives. A country of four million people, debuting on the world stage in 1998, finishing third. Then the fallow years — group-stage exits in 2002, 2006, 2014. Then the renaissance: silver in 2018 under Zlatko Dalic, bronze in 2022 in Qatar. Only Germany has reached the semi-finals more often than Croatia since 1998. That is not an accident. That is a culture.
How they qualified
Croatia won UEFA qualifying Group L — fittingly — on November 14, 2025, their seventh appearance at the World Cup finals. The squad that Dalic assembled for this cycle is one in transition: Luka Modric, now in his forties, remains the emotional and tactical heart of the team, but the next generation — Luka Sucic, Martin Baturina, Petar Suchic — has been integrating steadily. The Croatian football machine produces technically intelligent midfielders the way other countries produce full-backs.
The squad
Modric's presence alone elevates Croatia's ceiling. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner and 2022 Bronze Ball holder remains a generational talent, capable of controlling tempo and breaking lines even as his burst of pace has diminished. Andrej Kramaric is the most reliable goal threat — a striker who punishes half-chances with the kind of efficiency only comes from complete confidence. Dominik Livakovic in goal is a goalkeeper who thrives under pressure; his penalty shootout record at major tournaments borders on the supernatural.
The newer names are intriguing. Luka Sucic has the movement and vision to be a future Croatian great. Mario Pasalic offers energy and goals from deep. Duje Caleta-Car and Josip Sutalo form a competent defensive partnership. This is not the Croatia of 2018 — that squad had peak Modric, peak Ivan Perisic, peak Mario Mandzukic. But it is more than capable of advancing from this group.
What to expect
Croatia win matches they are not supposed to win. They lose matches they are not supposed to lose. What they consistently do is compete. They defend with discipline, transition quickly, and trust that Modric will find a solution when the game is tight. Against England, they will be underdogs but not overawed — they have beaten England before, at the 2018 World Cup group stage. Against Ghana and Panama, they will expect to collect points. The only question is whether an aging squad, late in a great cycle, has one more tournament run left.
Ghana
The Black Stars return — and they have something to prove
Ghana's World Cup legacy is built on two moments: their extraordinary 2010 quarter-final run that ended with Luis Suarez's hand on the goal line, Asamoah Gyan's missed penalty, and the most agonising elimination in African football history. And the 2006 debut — a composed, confident performance that reached the round of 16 against Brazil. Everything between and since has been the attempt to recapture that standard.
How they qualified
Ghana won CAF qualifying Group I on October 12, 2025 — their fifth World Cup appearance. The campaign was dominated rather than difficult. Opponents included Madagascar, Chad, Mali, Comoros, and the Central African Republic. Ghana averaged 2.3 goals per game, won six of eight matches, and finished six points clear of their nearest challenger. There were minor wobbles — a shock 0-1 defeat to Comoros, a late equaliser conceded against Chad — but they never threatened to matter. This is a side that controls its level of competition efficiently.
The squad
New head coach Carlos Queiroz — the 73-year-old Portuguese veteran who has managed Real Madrid, Portugal, Iran, Colombia, Egypt, Qatar, and Oman — was appointed in April 2026 after Otto Addo's tenure produced the Qatar disappointment and a failed AFCON 2025 qualifying campaign. Queiroz knows African football, understands stars, and has the experience to turn a talented squad into a functional tournament team.
The headline name is Antoine Semenyo — 26, now at Manchester City after leaving Bournemouth, a winger of genuine Premier League quality with ambidextrous finishing ability and the kind of directness that unsettles defenders. Mohamed Kudus of Tottenham Hotspur is the creative fulcrum, a player who reserves his best performances for international football and provides the moments of individual brilliance Ghana need to unlock organised defences. Thomas Partey, 32, remains the midfield anchor — when he plays, Ghana have structure; when he is absent, they are vulnerable.
Defensively, there are concerns. Mohammed Salisu (Monaco) and Tariq Lamptey (Fiorentina) are both recovering from cruciate ligament injuries and may not be available. Alexander Djiku of Spartak Moscow will carry significant responsibility in central defence. His 36 caps and four international goals mark him as a reliable presence, but the depth behind him is not elite.
What to expect
Ghana are not a team that defends and hopes. They press, they attack, they take risks. Against England, they will be outsiders — but the 2010 group stage result (Ghana won 1-0) is not forgotten. Against Croatia, it becomes a genuine contest. Against Panama, they will be favourites. The Queiroz appointment is designed to add tactical structure to natural talent; whether six weeks is enough to implement his ideas fully is the tournament's most interesting coaching question.
Panama
The Canaleros: here to play, here to celebrate
Panama's World Cup history is exactly two matches old before this tournament — all from 2018 in Russia. They lost all three games, conceded 11 goals, suffered a 1-6 humiliation against England, and spent a combined 19 minutes in the lead across the group stage. And yet: nobody who watched remembers Panama with anything other than warmth. The joy on the bench when they scored against England. The dancing. The absolute, unfiltered happiness of a team that knew it had arrived somewhere it had dreamed of for decades.
How they qualified
Panama qualified through CONCACAF Group A on November 18, 2025 — their second World Cup appearance. The campaign was efficient in the early rounds and competitive in the final phase. Coach Thomas Christiansen — the Spanish-Danish former player who has transformed Panamanian football — guided them through a final qualifying group that included Suriname, Guatemala, and El Salvador with 12 points from 18. Three draws suggested frailty at certain moments, but the overall qualification was never seriously in doubt. Christiansen also delivered a CONCACAF Gold Cup 2023 final appearance and only narrowly lost the CONCACAF Nations League 2025 final to Mexico.
The squad
This is a Panama squad built largely from Central American club football, with a handful of players in more prominent leagues. Goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera, who plays in Saudi Arabia against opponents like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema on a weekly basis, brings an experience level that exceeds what his club prestige might suggest. Fidel Escobar organises the central defensive structure with the authority of someone who has been doing this for a decade. Eric Davis, at 34, defies his age by operating at maximum intensity for full matches from a wing-back role, still contributing goals and assists.
Edgardo Fariña of Pari NN — the RPL connection — provides cover at centre-back and demonstrated his reliability with a full 90 minutes in the CONCACAF Nations League final. He is not a starter, but he is trusted when it matters.
What to expect
Panama will not beat England. They will not beat Croatia. They might, on a day with the wind behind them and Mosquera saving two difficult chances, trouble Ghana. What they will definitely do is compete with maximum commitment for every minute of every match, create at least one moment that appears on highlight reels, celebrate every setpiece like a cup final, and remind the watching world why they love football. In a tournament increasingly dominated by tactical systems and high-pressure analytics, Panama's uncomplicated joy is worth something. It always has been.
Chances of Advancing from Group L
|
Team |
Mostbet |
1xBet / Melbet / 22Bet |
1Win |
|
England |
1.01 |
1.01 |
1.01 |
|
Croatia |
1.23 |
1.24 |
1.23 |
|
Ghana |
1.52 |
1.51 |
1.53 |
|
Panama |
2.70 |
2.72 |
2.75 |
The market treats England's advancement as a formality — at 1.01 across all three bookmakers, they are as close to a mathematical certainty as group-stage football allows. With Kane, Bellingham, and Palmer in this group, that assessment is hard to argue with.
Croatia at 1.23-1.24 reflect the bookmakers' view that the second automatic spot is almost certainly theirs — roughly an 81% implied probability. That feels correct. Croatia's experience in major tournaments, their organisation, and the quality of Modric and Kramaric give them a clear edge over both Ghana and Panama in the key head-to-head fixture.
Ghana at 1.51-1.53 represent a team priced as moderate favourites to advance — somewhere around a 65% implied probability. This accounts for their superior individual quality over Panama and their ability to take something from Croatia. The caveat is the Salisu and Lamptey injury situations; if both miss the tournament, that probability drops.
Panama at 2.70-2.75 are clear outsiders, with an implied chance of just under 40%. Their best route involves the third-place ranking system that allows the better third-placed teams to advance — a direct second-place finish from this group is extremely unlikely. But the expanded tournament format means they are not entirely without hope.
Who Wins Group L
|
Team |
Mostbet |
1xBet / Melbet / 22Bet |
1Win |
|
England |
1.3 |
1.285 |
1.28 |
|
Croatia |
4.5 |
4.55 |
4.5 |
|
Ghana |
13 |
11 |
11 |
|
Panama |
50 |
55 |
51 |
England at 1.28-1.30 are overwhelming favourites to top the group — a position that reflects both their squad depth and the relative weakness of their group rivals. Martinez-era Portugal aside, few European squads have the individual quality England possess across all positions. The expectation is maximum points, or something close to it.
Croatia at 4.5 are the only side the market believes could realistically challenge England for first. If Modric finds his best form and Croatia take maximum points from Ghana and Panama before meeting England with something to play for, a group victory is not impossible. It would require England to drop points elsewhere — not inconceivable, given England's historical ability to make routine fixtures complicated.
Ghana at 11-13 are longshots but not absurdities. A first-place finish would require beating England — something they did in 2010 — plus Croatia, and that is a very tall order for a squad whose defensive quality is uncertain. The Queiroz factor is the unknown: if he organises Ghana defensively while allowing Semenyo and Kudus their freedom, anything is possible.
Panama at 50-55 — the bookmakers are essentially paying tribute to the concept. A Panama group victory would be among the greatest upsets in World Cup history. It is not going to happen. But at 51/1, someone, somewhere, will put five pounds on it.
Our Predictions
Group L resolves largely as the bookmakers expect, with one moment of genuine drama along the way.
England top the group. Their squad is too good, their motivation too high after years of near-misses, and their opponents — with respect — not at the level required to stop them. Kane finally gets the World Cup goals his career has been waiting for. England win all three group matches, conceding once.
Croatia advance in second. Their match against Ghana is the group's defining fixture — a tight, tactical game that Croatia edge through Kramaric's clinical finishing and Livakovic's predictable brilliance when it matters. Modric, in what is almost certainly his final World Cup, provides the moment of quality that reminds everyone what is about to be lost from the game.
Ghana finish third and depend on the third-place rankings. They beat Panama comfortably, push Croatia hard, and give England a more uncomfortable afternoon than the scoreline suggests. Kudus is the group's standout individual from the African contingent. Whether third place is enough to progress depends on results elsewhere.
Panama finish fourth, score at least once, and leave the tournament with more friends than they arrived with. Christiansen's team will have competed. That was always the brief.