World Cup 2026 Group L Preview: England Look To Finally End 60 Years Of Hurt

The stage is set in Group L, as England look to begin their journey and finally reclaim their crown after 60 years of struggle. With this being England’s first major tournament under Thomas Tuchel, following Gareth Southgate's departure in 2024, fans will be hoping the experience the German can bring is enough to get England their second star. 

Croatia enters this World Cup campaign probably in the weakest shape they have been in for a while, following their run to the final in 2018. However, despite lacking the quality of previous tournaments, Croatia can fall back on the experience of their senior players when required and will still be a force to be reckoned with in the group. 

After failing to qualify for AFCON for the first time in 20 years, Ghana travel to America with a point to prove. With the heat set to play a big factor in this year’s competition, could Ghana have the potential to shock fans around the world? Boasting an attack featuring Manchester City star Antone Semenyo on the wing, the Black Stars could have the potential to cause an upset. 

Despite being ranked 33rd in the world FIFA rankings, 41 higher than Ghana in 74th, Panama stands out as the weakest side in the group. With the side significantly lacking in individual quality compared to the rest of the group, Panama may struggle to cope with the levels of the other sides. However, again, being a country used to competing in hotter climates, this could further open the door to a potential shock in the group. 

Following heartbreak for England in Berlin, losing the 2024 Euros final for the second time in a row, former England coach Gareth Southgate announced he would be stepping down from his position as manager after almost 8 years, in a period which saw the Three Lions reach two Euros finals as well as a World Cup semi and quarter final. 

His replacement, Thomas Tuchel, is now set to lead England into their first major tournament post-Southgate, with expectations as high as they have ever been following England’s recent record of going deep into whatever tournament they are in.

Tuchel’s tenure as England manager so far, albeit untested, has been promising, with England winning every match without even conceding a single goal on the road to qualifying for this year’s tournament. 

Despite some controversy surrounding the squad selection for this World Cup, ruffling a few feathers, with England regulars such as Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer missing out, England arguably looks in the best shape they have been in a long while, with the squad generally lacking any real notable area of weakness that may have been there to be exploited in past tournaments.

However, it could be argued that the decision to leave players such as Palmer and Foden at home could potentially come back to haunt Tuchel, two players who are more than capable of delivering a moment of brilliance to win a game on their own, and could quickly become very missed by England fans.

However, one player fans will not have to worry about missing out on this World Cup would be none other than the all-time top scorer for the Three Lions, Harry Kane, who enters the tournament in the form of his life. Coming off a season with Bayern Munich, which saw the Englishman bag 64 goals in 56 matches, Kane has the potential to be the man who could finally help drag England to their first shot at World Cup glory in almost 60 years.

Prediction: 1st

Although this group will not be a walk in the park for England, with the Three Lions entering the tournament off the back of a flawless qualifying campaign, as well as having undoubtedly stronger individual talent compared to that of the rest of the group, I fully expect England to comfortably top this group. 

Croatia enters this tournament significantly weaker compared to their most recent appearances at the tournament, with many of the squad who came so close to shocking the world in 2018 now being retired or on the back end of their careers. 

Following what was another stellar performance in Qatar, which saw Croatia reach the semi-finals before going on to lose to eventual champions Argentina, as well as being triumphant in the third-place playoff against Morocco, Zlatko Dalić leads the country into his third World Cup as manager, where once again he will be hoping hin and his men will be able to send shockwaves throughout the tournament, despite boasting a much weaker squad to that of previous years. 

Croatia’s road to qualifying for this year’s tournament was not exactly the most challenging, with their group consisting of Montenegro, the Faroe Islands, Czechia, and Gibraltar. 

Nevertheless, Croatia dominated the group in style, going unbeaten across the eight fixtures they played, winning all their matches bar a nil-nil draw with Czechia, which saw them qualify top of the group.

Croatia will be looking to replicate this form heading into this year’s group phase of the tournament, where they will be reunited with familiar foes and group favourites England.

Although the squad still possesses some top-quality talent, with big names such as Gvardiol, Modric, and Kovacic, the lack of firepower up front for the Croatian’s is now a major area of weakness within the squad compared to that of previous years, with a 37-year-old Ivan Perisic still being their most notable option. 

Despite now being in his 40s and most definitely in the back end of his career, Luka Modric will still likely be the man that Croatia will depend on if they are to go far in this year’s tournament. 

After a successful first season in Italy with AC Milan, the Croatian has not shown anywhere near the level of drop off you would expect for a player of his age, still showing evident displays of the quality we have come to expect from the maestro. Although not as mobile as he once was, if Dalic can build a team that plays to the best the strengths of Modric, Croatia will be a force to be reckoned with, and recent history suggests this is often the case. 

Prediction: 2nd

Although they are widely regarded as a squad made up of players coming towards the end of their careers, Croatia still possesses more than enough quality to make their way through to the knockout stages quite comfortably, and possibly even top the group if they can overcome the favourites in England, which they do have a history of doing in this tournament. 

Ghana comes into this group off the back of failing to qualify for AFCON, with the Black Stars finishing bottom of their group without winning a game

However, despite their recent struggles, Ghana once again find themselves making their way to another World Cup finals, with this being their fifth appearance at the tournament, having only failed to qualify one time out of the last two decades. 

Former Man United assistant and Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz will be the man to guide Ghana through the tournament, following the sacking of former manager Otto Addo earlier this year.

 Despite not having an awful lot of time to prepare for the tournament, having only one game in charge of the Black Stars under his belt, the amount of experience the Portuguese will be able to bring could be invaluable for Ghana as they look to avenge their failure to qualify for AFCON. 

Similar to opponents England and Croatia, Ghana was able to qualify for the tournament with relative ease, winning eight of their ten qualifying matches, only losing one game.

However, despite their impressive qualifying form, this has sadly not been replicated in other matches, with them losing 4 of their last five, with a one-all draw with Wales being their best result.

Ghana do not possess the most well-rounded squad, with a real lack of quality in defence and midfield compared to that of Croatia and England, with Thomas Partey really being the only notable name amongst their options.

Their attack, however, may have just enough quality to help carry this team through to the next round of the competition. Bolstering a number of dangerous attackers, such as Jordan Ayew, Abdul Fatawu, Iñaki Williams, and most notably, Manchester City star Antoine Semenyo.

Semenyo undoubtedly stands out as Ghana’s shining light, coming off the back of a brilliant Premier League season which saw him earn a move to Manchester City in January. Having scored 17 league goals this season, becoming one of the Premier League’s most feared forwards, it is fair to say that Ghana’s hopes at this year’s tournament ultimately will fall on the shoulders of the winger. 

Prediction: 3rd

Given the major quality gap between this side and some of the stronger sides in the group, it’s hard to see the Black Stars managing a finish any higher than 3rd, but with the level of firepower they will have up front, Ghana will definitely be able to cause a threat when going forward, which could just be enough to see them into the next round. 

Panama enters this group as outstanding underdogs, despite having actually having a higher FIFA ranking (33) than that of group opponents Ghana (77)

The 2026 World Cup will be only the second time Panama has ever qualified for the competition, with their only other appearance coming in Russia in 2018, and with the nation still yet to ever win a match at the tournament, you can bet Los Canaleros will be looking to put an end to that record. 

Panama’s journey to qualifying for this year’s tournament, like many others in this group, was a successful one, with them topping their group going unbeaten while doing so. 

Thomas Christiansen will be the man to lead Los Canaleros, after 6 years in charge, joining in 2020, where he has since managed over 90 matches. He is still a relatively young manager at 53, but has experience in the hot seat at big European clubs such as Union St.Gilloise and Leeds United. Following a remarkable run to the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America and now the World Cup finals, the Spaniard will be hoping he and his men will be able to deliver the country's first-ever points at a World Cup. 

Possessing a squad that is significantly lacking in quality compared to that of its competitors in Group L, Panama looks set to be up against it from the get-go, but do have experienced players in their squad to fall back on, such as Anibal Godoy, who holds the all-time record for most appearances for the nation at 155, and will be a vital part in any potential success Panama wish to have in this years tournament.

Another experienced player in this squad to look out for would be right back Amir Murillo. Being one of the only members of the squad with major experience playing in a top-five league in Europe, with over 80 appearances for Marseille, the stability and experience he will be able to bring to Panama's backline could have the potential to be a real difference maker in the team’s quest to get points on the board. 

Final Prediction: 4th

Despite possessing a squad that will be used to playing in the hot climate of this year’s tournament, which is certainly an advantage, Panama could look to utilise it, but it will still likely not be enough for Thomas Christiansen’s men to really compete in this group, with the gap in quality being so drastic. However, this will still not deter Los Canaleros as they will still look to make history by recording points for the first time in their nation’s history.