Group L contains several interesting narratives, with Thomas Tuchel leading an England squad that will be missing plenty of big names by choice, a Croatia side looking to define an identity for the inevitable post-Luka Modríc era, and two teams in Ghana and Panama looking to prove they belong with the world's best.
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England 🏴
FIFA World Ranking: 4
It's the 60th anniversary of the Three Lions' lone World Cup triumph, which came on home soil, and they arrive stateside with some controversy. Manager Thomas Tuchel selected a squad for the tournament that saw the likes of Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Phil Foden, Harry Maguire, and others not included in the 26-man roster.
England can still rely on their greatest ever goalscorer in Harry Kane, alongside two of the game's best midfielders in Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.
After two World Cups under former manager Gareth Southgate in 2018 and 2022, which saw the Three Lions reach the semifinal and quarterfinal, respectively, and two European Championships, which saw England finish runner-up in 2021 and 2024, Tuchel will be looking to take England over the hump and deliver the world's biggest trophy back to the country that invented the sport.
How they qualified: England won all eight of their qualifying fixtures in a group that featured Albania, Latvia, Serbia, and Andorra.
Best ever finish: Champions (1966)
Odds to win World Cup: +700
Key Player: Harry Kane is the English national team. Off the back of a season in which he scored 61 goals in all competitions for FC Bayern München, the 32-year-old will be tasked with leading the line yet again for his country, a spot in which he's relished throughout his career, scoring 79 goals in 113 appearances.
X-factor: Declan Rice is a player who has the potential to make this team go. He has equal potential to make them not go. There are a number of other players that could fit here, like Bellingham, Reece James, or any of the wingers, but Rice gets my pick here. Coming off an elite couple of seasons at club level, Rice is likely to be one of this team's most important players in addition to one of its leaders.
What's their ceiling? Even with the big names left off the squad, you have to think this is a group with enough talent that they could win the tournament.
Projection: Quarterfinals has to be a minimum expectation, given what was achieved under Southgate. Anything beyond that depends entirely on matchups.
Fun fact: There's a four-part miniseries called "Dear England" airing in England right now about the Southgate era in charge of the Three Lions, from the 2018 World Cup to the appointment of Tuchel. It's based on a play of the same name.
Croatia 🇭🇷
FIFA World Ranking: 11
Croatia enter the 2026 World Cup on the precipice of a changing of the guard. Longtime talisman Luka Modrić is expected to retire at the end of Croatia's run at this World Cup. It's been the most successful period of international success that Croatia, or really any of the Balkan nations, have ever witnessed. The peak, of course, came in a second-place finish in the 2018 World Cup.
There are also two players from Major League Soccer in the Croatian squad; Dallas' Petar Musa and Orlando's Marco Pašalić. While a change in identity is on the horizon, this is still a side that believe they can challenge with the best in the world, even with a group stage exit in EURO 2024 lingering in the memory.
How they qualified: Croatia won seven of their eight qualifying games, drawing just once, a scoreless affair on the road at Czechia.
Best ever finish: Runner-up (2018)
Odds to win World Cup: +9000
Key player: Josko Gvardiol is one of Europe's best defenders, and will likely take up a similar role as he does at club level for Manchester City, operating at different times as a true centerback and other times much further to the left.
X-factor: What exactly does Luka Modrić have left in the tank? Does he have one world-class month left in him? If he does, this team could punch well above their weight. If not, or if others elsewhere can't match his level, Croatia could be looking at an early exit.
What's their ceiling? Croatia can definitely get out of the group. How far they get beyond that is anyone's guess, but reaching the quarterfinals feels like a step too far. The round of 16 is likely their ceiling.
Projection: Croatia finishes second in the group, and gets matched up with the runner-up in Group K. They win that game, but fall in the round of 16, likely to Spain.
Fun fact: During the Thirty Years' War in the 17th century, Croatian mercenaries often wore bands of silk around their necks. This was noticed by French soldiers, and developed into a trend that we have to thank for the cultural prominence of the necktie.
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Panama 🇵🇦
FIFA World Ranking: 34
Panama return to the World Cup for the first time since 2018, and just the second time ever. They'll look to better their group stage exit in that tournament, and prove themselves as more than just CONCACAF cannon fodder.
Among the squad, Nashville fans will of course recognize long-time 'Yote Aníbal Godoy, as well as former Houston Dynamo midfielder Coco Carasquilla, who currently plays for Liga MX side Pumas.
How they qualified: Panama breezed through all three rounds of CONCACAF qualification, giving them an automatic berth.
Best ever finish: Group stage (2018)
Odds to win World Cup: +100000
Key player: The aforementioned Coco Carasquilla has been the engine of the team for several years now, including in a 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup where Carasquilla won Best Player honors.
X-factor: Amir Murillo at right back has a lot of experience at some big clubs, and alongside Carasquilla and Godoy, will likely be tasked with a leadership role that makes him crucial to the team on and off the field.
What's their ceiling? Getting out of the group is possible, though with it likely coming via a second or third-place finish, making it any farther than the round of 32 is unlikely.
Projection: Panama finish in third, but fail to make it out of the group stage.
Fun fact: Panama is the only country on the planet where you can stand in the same spot and watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean and set over the Pacific.
Ghana 🇬🇭
FIFA World Ranking: 73
Ghana are back at the World Cup, and they have a reputation to uphold. Prior to Morocco's fourth-place finish in 2022, Ghana's run to the quarterfinals in 2010 was tied for the deepest any African nation had made it in a World Cup.
That being said, Ghana haven't played a knockout game since that rather infamous 2010 quarterfinal against Uruguay. They were eliminated in the group stage in 2014 and 2022, and failed to qualify in 2018.
American fans, of course, know that Ghana has a bit of a history with the United States in World Cups, with the two sides playing in three consecutive tournaments from 2006-14. It is unlikely their paths cross again, and Ghana will have a difficult task getting out of their group.
How they qualified: Ghana won CAF Group I, losing only once across ten games against the likes of Madagascar, Mali, Comoros, Chad, and the Central African Republic.
Best ever finish: Quarterfinals (2010)
Odds to win World Cup: +30000
Key player: Atletico Bilbao's Iñaki Williams has been a stalwart and a half at the club level, and the same goes for his contributions to Ghana since switching his nationality from Spain before the 2022 World Cup. He figures to be a key cog in this Ghana side as well.
X-factor: Since his January transfer from Bournemouth to Manchester City, Antoine Semenyo has truly arrived on the world stage. Semenyo enters the tournament with 34 caps and three goals to his name, but in red hot form after scoring seven times in 17 appearances at the Etihad.
What's their ceiling? If everything is clicking, and Semenyo, Williams, and Jordan Ayew are playing at their peak? Ghana gets out of the group. If they're not? Ghana is out in the group stage again.
Projection: Ghana is eliminated in the group stage.
Fun fact: Ghana's Lake Volta is the largest artificial reservoir in the world by surface area, covering almost 3,300 square miles.
Group L Wrap
Predicted final standings
| Pos | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🏴 England | Advances to Round of 32 |
| 2 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | Advances to Round of 32 |
| 3 | 🇵🇦 Panama | Best-third-place contender |
| 4 | 🇬🇭 Ghana | Eliminated |
The match that decides it: England vs Croatia
Best third-place watch: This isn't the greatest Panama side in history, but they're full of veteran experience, know North America, and are incredibly tricky to play against. Don't be shocked if they surprise.
