2026 World Cup: England Face Tough Challenges in Group L

England enter the 2026 World Cup as third favourites, facing stiff competition in Group L from Croatia, Ghana and Panama, with a history of difficulty at major tournaments.

England will enter the 2026 World Cup as the bookmakers' third favorites to win the tournament. While odds of 13/2 for the Three Lions to lift the trophy may be tempting for sports gamblers, their record in previous major tournaments is quite worrying. England's only World Cup success came on their home soil in 1966. They had never won a European Championship and generally struggled when the pressure mounted.

Thomas Tuchel's team will be optimistic about continuing to the knockout phase, after being drawn alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama. However, anyone who thinks winning Group L is a sure thing would do well to temper their expectations.

World Cup Group L Schedule:

June 17: England vs Croatia – Dallas (21.00)
June 18: Ghana vs Panama – Toronto (00.00)
June 23: England vs Ghana – Boston (21.00)
June 24: Panama vs Croatia – Toronto (00.00)
June 27: Panama vs England – New York/New Jersey (22.00)

Croatia have been overlooked as potential World Cup winners, even though they have finished second and third in the last two editions of the tournament. They beat England in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia and have challenged them very hard in their next three meetings. Veteran Luka Modric still has the ability to control the game in the middle of the park and could make England difficult.

Ghana have been a fixture at the World Cup in recent years, having qualified for five of the last six tournaments after first appearing in 2006. They sacked coach Otto Addo just 78 days before the start of the latest edition, replacing him with Carlos Queiroz on April 13. Queiroz is familiar with English football from his tenure at Manchester United and is an expert at building impenetrable teams. With the likes of Thomas Partey, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams in their squad, Ghana have the ability to make things difficult for England.

Panama enter their second World Cup with far greater ambition than their first appearance in 2018. Coach Thomas Christiansen is targeting to beat Ghana in their first match, which would increase their chances of progressing to the last 32. Panama's compact defensive structure and their work ethic could make them difficult to beat, especially in climatic conditions that will work in their favor. They also pose a real threat from set-pieces, which is a factor that the other teams in this group would do well not to overlook.