The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins this week, and the 12 groups are set ahead of the newly expanded 48-team tournament.
The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, marks the first time the historic tournament has expanded from 32 to 48 teams. It will also feature a new Round of 32 knockout stage, resulting in a colossal 104 matches across 39 days.
Group L includes England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama. Let’s take a look at the Group L teams and see how each team is shaping up heading into the tournament.
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama
England:
England and their fans have been awaiting another international trophy since their sole World Cup victory in 1966. It’s not due to a lack of talent or strong teams, as England has been in great form ever since the 2018 World Cup, where they made it to the semifinals before losing to Croatia. Since then, England have been even more competitive on the international stage, making it to the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 but coming up short in both.
England are now led by manager Thomas Tuchel, a top-tier coach who has won across Europe and has put together another talented squad heading to the U.S. in search of glory. Despite their recent string of heartbreak, England will once again enter the tournament among the favorites.
England was flawless throughout World Cup qualifying, going 8-0 and winning their group, something only England and Norway were able to achieve. England played phenomenally throughout qualifying and, under Tuchel, have adopted a high-possession style of play that certainly takes more risks than Gareth Southgate’s England teams, a system that comes with both rewards and risks.
Tuchel came under some scrutiny for leaving experienced internationals such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire at home, but the squad still has a litany of options and is sound throughout the lineup. England’s all-time leading goalscorer and captain, Harry Kane, is back once again for his third straight World Cup. He’ll be joined by incredible talents such as Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon, all of whom have enjoyed successful club seasons. While the biggest changes to England’s lineup will likely come in defense, keep an eye on Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, who had a stellar year for the club and could form a formidable partnership with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
Croatia:
Time and time again, Croatia manages to outperform expectations with an experienced squad that seems to get older with each edition of the World Cup. The world learned that Croatia is a force to be reckoned with after back-to-back World Cups of success, with the Croatians finishing as runners-up in 2018 and semifinalists in 2022. They enter this year’s tournament with plenty of their previous World Cup veterans, but also with young talent hoping to learn from the accomplished Croatians.
Croatia was nearly perfect in qualifying, winning seven of their eight games and topping their group while conceding just four goals. Croatia are still led by manager Zlatko Dalić, who has the full backing of the players and fans after guiding his side through the past two World Cups. Croatia’s talented midfield allows them to play a sound and methodical possession-based style, once again led by 40-year-old and 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić, who is making his fifth World Cup appearance. He’ll be joined in midfield by Mateo Kovačić and Mario Pašalić, two players who also bring prior World Cup experience. Despite many of Croatia’s stars getting older, you can’t replace experience and success, two things Croatia has mastered over the past two tournaments.
Ghana:
Since their World Cup debut in 2006, Ghana has appeared in every edition of the tournament except 2018. Their best finish came in 2010 when they reached the quarterfinals, but they have not made it out of the group stage since. The biggest question surrounding Ghana is the fact that they parted ways with their manager just a few months ago and recently appointed Carlos Queiroz to lead the team this summer. Queiroz, who is 73 years old, has previously managed Portugal and Iran, but his real test will be building chemistry with a new squad and getting the players to buy into his system with only a few months to prepare.
Expect Ghana to rely heavily on veterans Thomas Partey, Iñaki Williams and Jordan Ayew, as well as talented Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who scored 17 Premier League goals this season.
Panama:
Panama is back in the World Cup after missing out in 2022 and will be hoping to build off the momentum from their World Cup debut in 2018. Panama took advantage of the U.S., Canada and Mexico not participating in qualifying, going 7W-0L-3D to secure their place in this year’s tournament. Although Panama missed out on the last World Cup, they were runners-up in the 2023 Gold Cup and have looked like a more consistent team under manager Thomas Christiansen.
Christiansen, who has managed Panama since 2020, will be leading his squad into an extremely competitive Group L, where Panama are almost certainly the underdogs. Keep an eye on midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla, winner of the 2023 Gold Cup Best Player award, who has been a consistent contributor for Panama and is an incredibly talented player with strong technical ability on both sides of the ball.
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