FIFA World Cup Group L 2026 Preview

2026 FIFA World Cup Group L matches will be played from June 17 to 27. England is considered the favorite in Group L, having reached the EURO 2024 final, while the main challenge should come from Croatia, which played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final.

The group also includes Ghana and Panama, which missed the 2022 World Cup and is viewed as the group underdog.

Here, we provide team overviews, the full group schedule and odds.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L stands out because it has two national teams with the potential for a deep run in the knockout stage.

Croatia has a chance to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third time in a row. In 2018, the national team played in the final, where it lost to France. In the 2022 semi-finals, it lost to Argentina but then beat Morocco in the third-place match.

England is considered the group favorite, but Croatia will certainly provide a serious challenge. Interestingly, these national teams will meet in the opening group match, where the fate of first place could potentially be decided.

Panama and Ghana have FIFA World Cup experience, but the draw was not favorable for them. Croatia and England look too talented.

Best online bookmaker odds for winning the group or finishing TOP 2:

Four group matches will be played in the United States: Arlington, Foxborough, East Rutherford and Philadelphia. The Ghana vs Panama and Panama vs Croatia matches will be played in Toronto. Full FIFA World Cup Group L schedule:

There is a clear gap in FIFA World Cup Group L. England team and Croatia should play for first place, while Ghana and Panama should fight for third place. Panama, which returns to the FIFA World Cup, is considered the group underdog, and there is a high probability that it will finish the tournament at the bottom of the group.

England won all eight matches in FIFA World Cup Qualification, although it played in a group against Albania, Serbia, Latvia and Andorra.

The first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup will already be against Croatia, where the national team’s level will become clear. England arrives with one of the most talented squads in the entire tournament: Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, England lost in the quarter-finals to France, which reached the final. At EURO 2024, England reached the final, where it lost to Spain. This is undoubtedly one of the main favorites to fight for the title.

Croatia was the biggest surprise of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Croatia showed that the 2018 result was not a coincidence. It reached the semi-finals and later beat Morocco in the third-place match.

EURO 2024 did not go well for the national team, as it failed to progress from the group, although the two teams that reached the knockout stage were Spain and Italy.

Croatia arrives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with 40-year-old veteran Luka Modric still playing. However, this is not a one-player national team. The squad has many high-level footballers who have been playing together for several years, which allows the team to show a high level of football.

Ghana finished fourth in its 2022 FIFA World Cup group with 3 points. The opponents were not the most favorable, as it had to play against Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay.

This year, the situation is similar again, because England and Croatia are much higher-level opponents. Still, Panama will be in the group, and Ghana can certainly beat it. A win and 3 points would move Ghana closer to the Round of 32 even if it finishes third.

Panama made its FIFA World Cup debut in 2018, did not qualify for the tournament in 2022 and will play for the second time in its history this year. Reaching the tournament is already an excellent result for Panama, but not much should be expected in this group.

In qualification, Panama finished first in its group, which shows the growth of football in the country, but competing against the strongest national teams in the world will still be very difficult.

England has the most talent in Group L. There are top-level players in every position. Harry Kane had an impressive individual season, scoring 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich.

Alongside Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka should be highlighted in the England national team. Interestingly, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be in the squad this year, which only confirms the level of competition and the depth of talent.

Croatia arrives with veteran Luka Modric, while Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, Josko Gvardiol and Dominik Livakovic are also in the squad.

Almost all players in the Panama national team squad play abroad. Adalberto Carrasquilla is considered the main player. Jose Fajardo, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Andres Andrade and Anibal Godoy can also be highlighted.

The face of the Ghana national team is Antoine Semenyo, who joined Manchester City at the start of 2026. Alongside A. Semenyo, Muhammed Kudus and Jordan Ayew also stand out.

The opening matches in FIFA World Cup Group L will already be England vs Croatia and Ghana vs Panama. First and third place could potentially be decided here. If Panama loses to Ghana, it would almost secure last place.

FIFA bookmakers give odds of 1.60 for Panama to finish last in the group, which looks like the safest Group L bet.

There is a high probability that England and Croatia could draw their opening match against each other, which means that against the other opponents they will look not only to win, but to do so by as wide a margin as possible, as that could allow them to finish first in the group. This should be considered when placing bets.

If Ghana wins its opening match against Panama, it can create complications in the group. Three points would move Ghana much closer to the Round of 32. A draw against Croatia or England could also be enough to reach the knockout stage.