World Cup 2026 Group L — England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama Rated

I covered the 2018 World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia from a press box in Moscow, and the tension in that stadium still sits with me. Eight years later, these two meet again in World Cup 2026 Group L — and while the names on the teamsheet have changed, the rivalry has not. For Irish fans watching as neutrals, this group offers a compelling narrative: the Premier League stars you watch every weekend, a Croatian side that refuses to age gracefully out of tournament football, a Ghanaian team dripping with European-based talent, and Panama returning to the biggest stage on home soil. I have been rating World Cup groups across three major tournaments, and Group L sits in a fascinating middle ground — not quite a group of death, but far from a dead rubber.

England arrive as clear favourites, and the bookmakers agree. Croatia, though, have a habit of embarrassing anyone who writes them off. Ghana possess enough individual quality to cause a serious upset on any given matchday. Panama, co-hosts by geography if not by FIFA’s official designation, will treat every minute like a cup final. The question is not whether England qualify — it is whether they top the group, and whether the road from first place versus second place leads them into a kinder knockout draw.

The Four Teams — Rated and Compared

Rating four teams in a single group demands a framework, so here is mine. I score each side across three dimensions: squad quality on a 1-to-10 scale, tournament pedigree on a 1-to-10 scale, and what I call “danger factor” — the likelihood they pull off something unexpected. Add those up, divide by three, and you get my composite group rating. It is subjective, but I have applied the same model to every group at this tournament.

England (9/10)

The squad depth England bring to this World Cup is absurd. Three genuine world-class options at almost every position, a generation of players who have reached two European Championship finals, and the kind of Premier League pedigree that makes neutral fans in Dublin pay attention every time they play. Their qualifying campaign was clinical — and while they have lacked a killer instinct in knockout rounds at recent tournaments, the group stage has rarely troubled them. England have not failed to win their group at a major tournament since 2014, and even that required a catastrophic collapse against Uruguay. In Group L, they should cruise. Should. The one concern is complacency — Croatia have form for humbling English sides exactly when confidence peaks. I give England a 9 because no team in this group can match their depth, but I withhold the full 10 because England have a historical habit of making life harder than it needs to be.

Croatia (7/10)

Croatia at a World Cup is a different beast from Croatia in qualifying. This is a nation of four million people that reached the 2018 final and then finished third in 2022 — the single greatest sustained period of World Cup success for any small European federation in modern history. The question heading into 2026 is generational transition. Luka Modric, if selected, will be 40 years old during the tournament. Whether he starts, comes off the bench, or watches from the stands shapes Croatia’s entire tactical identity. Behind him, though, the production line has not stopped. Players from the Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga fill every position, and the Croatian FA’s development system continues to punch above its weight. I rate Croatia a 7 — high enough to respect their pedigree, low enough to acknowledge the uncertainty of a squad in transition. They are the second-best team in this group, and on a good day, they can push England all the way.

Ghana (5/10)

Ghana arrive in 2026 with a squad scattered across Europe’s top five leagues and a point to prove after failing to advance past the group stage in 2022. The Black Stars have historically been one of Africa’s most dangerous World Cup sides — reaching the quarter-finals in 2010 in a campaign that ended with one of the most dramatic penalty incidents in tournament history. Their current generation includes quick, technically gifted forwards and a midfield capable of controlling possession against mid-tier opposition. What they lack is consistency. Ghana’s qualifying path through the African section was bumpy, and their defensive organisation under pressure has been a recurring weakness. In a group with England and Croatia, they face two sides who can exploit defensive lapses ruthlessly. I score Ghana a 5 — enough to cause a serious headache for any team on their day, but not reliable enough to expect them to qualify. The match against Panama could define their tournament.

Panama (3/10)

Panama qualified for their second-ever World Cup, and the sheer emotion of that achievement cannot be overstated for a nation of four million. Their 2018 campaign was a celebration of arrival — they lost all three group matches but played with a joy that won neutral hearts worldwide. The 2026 squad is marginally stronger, with several players now competing in MLS and Liga MX, but the gap between Panama and the top two seeds in this group is significant. Defensively, they will sit deep and try to frustrate. On the counter, they have pace. But sustained pressure from England or Croatia will test them severely. I rate Panama a 3 — a score that reflects their status as the group’s clear underdog while acknowledging that they will not roll over. The match against Ghana is their cup final, and if they can steal a result there, the group gets very interesting.

Group L Fixtures and Kick-Off Times (IST)

Every Irish fan planning to follow Group L needs a schedule pinned to the fridge — or, more realistically, saved on their phone for those nights when the alarm goes off at an ungodly hour. The time difference between the east coast of the United States and Ireland during June is five hours, which means an evening kick-off in New York or Miami translates to a late-night session in Dublin, Cork or Galway.

The group stage fixtures see England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama play three matches each across a window of roughly ten days. England’s opener against one of the lower seeds will likely be scheduled for a prime broadcast slot — expect a kick-off around 23:00 or 02:00 IST depending on the venue. The marquee fixture, England versus Croatia, will almost certainly command the latest slot in the group, meaning Irish fans may need to clear their schedules for a 02:00 IST start.

For those tracking every permutation, the final round of Group L matches will be played simultaneously — standard FIFA protocol to prevent collusion. That simultaneous kick-off, if set for 22:00 ET, translates to 03:00 IST. If you are the sort of person who stays up for a dead rubber involving Panama, I respect your commitment. The key matches worth losing sleep over are England versus Croatia and, if results go a certain way, Ghana versus Croatia on the final matchday. Everything else is a bonus.

Who Qualifies — Odds and My Prediction

Let me put it plainly: England will qualify from this group. The odds reflect that — most Irish bookmakers have England to win Group L at around 4/9, which offers almost no value whatsoever. The more interesting market is which team finishes second, and whether any of the lower seeds can sneak through as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

Croatia’s odds to qualify — either as runners-up or as a best third-placed side — sit around 4/7. That feels about right. They have the squad, the experience and the tactical nous to navigate a group like this, even if they drop points against England. I would place Croatia’s probability of advancing at roughly 70%, which in fractional terms means the 4/7 is fair but not generous.

Ghana’s qualification odds hover around 7/2 to finish in the top two, and that is where I see a flicker of value. If Ghana beat Panama — which they should be expected to do — and then produce a disciplined performance against either England or Croatia, a draw in one of those fixtures could be enough for second place. The 48-team format and the introduction of best third-placed qualifiers gives Ghana a safety net that did not exist in previous World Cups. A team that finishes third with four points — say, a win against Panama and a draw against Croatia — has a realistic shot at advancing. I rate Ghana’s probability of reaching the round of 32 at around 35%, which means the 7/2 carries some value for an each-way punt.

Panama’s odds to qualify are long — somewhere around 20/1 to finish in the top two — and I cannot make a case for backing them. Their ceiling in this group is a single draw and one competitive defeat, which would leave them with two or three points and almost certainly eliminated. The only scenario where Panama advance is if they beat Ghana and draw with Croatia, and even then, the best third-place calculation may not fall in their favour.

My prediction for the final Group L table: England first on seven points, Croatia second on five, Ghana third on three, Panama fourth on one. England and Croatia advance automatically, and Ghana’s fate depends on results elsewhere.

The Match to Watch — England vs Croatia

If you only watch one Group L fixture, make it this one. England versus Croatia carries a weight that transcends the group stage — there is genuine history between these two sides at major tournaments, and the tactical contrast makes for compelling viewing.

Cast your mind back to the 2018 semi-final in Moscow. England took the lead through Kieran Trippier’s free-kick, held it for most of the match, and then collapsed in extra time as Croatia’s midfield asserted total control. That defeat shaped English football psychology for a generation. The players on the pitch in 2026 are different, but the memory lingers in the coaching staff, the media narrative, and the expectations of a nation that still carries the scars of “football’s coming home” turned to heartbreak.

Croatia will approach this match with their trademark pragmatism. They do not fear big nations — they dismantle them through midfield control, patient build-up and an almost stubborn refusal to change their identity regardless of the opponent. The question is whether their new generation possesses the same composure under pressure that Modric, Rakitic and Perisic brought in 2018 and 2022.

From a betting perspective, the match market will likely open with England as clear favourites at around 4/6, Croatia around 7/2 and the draw at 12/5. I see value in the draw. Group stage matches between two sides expected to qualify often produce cagey, tactical affairs — neither team wants to risk an injury or a red card, and a point apiece suits both. At 12/5, the draw represents my best single-match bet in Group L.

For Irish neutrals, this is appointment viewing. The Premier League stars on England’s teamsheet are players you know intimately — you have watched them every Saturday for years. Seeing them in a World Cup shirt, under floodlights, against a Croatian side with nothing to lose and everything to prove — that is the kind of football that makes losing sleep worthwhile.

My Group L Verdict

Group L is a 7/10 on my excitement scale. It lacks the chaos of a true group of death, but it compensates with a genuine rivalry at its centre and enough quality across all four teams to avoid dead rubbers. England should win the group, but “should” is a dangerous word at World Cups — ask Germany in 2018, ask Spain in 2022, ask any pre-tournament favourite that stumbled when the pressure peaked.

My betting approach to this group is straightforward. I am leaving the outright group winner market alone — England at 4/9 offers nothing. Instead, I am focusing on two angles: the draw in England versus Croatia at 12/5, and Ghana to qualify from the group (top two or best third) at around 7/2 each-way. Both bets carry risk, but they offer the kind of value that makes tournament betting worthwhile.

For the full breakdown of England’s squad, tactics and outright odds, I have written a dedicated analysis that goes deeper than any group preview can. If you are planning your World Cup betting around Group L — and as an Irish neutral watching the Premier League’s finest, you probably are — that is where you will find my strongest conviction picks.

Group L will not produce the most dramatic storyline of the tournament. But it will produce the match that every Irish pub tunes into on a warm June night — and that, for those of us watching from this side of the Atlantic, is what this World Cup is about.