Breaking down Group L for the FIFA World Cup, including schedule, rosters, best bets and more!
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One of the more underrated groupings in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is Group L, which holds multiple teams that are better than the casual fan may realize. England headlines Group L and, as always, will be heavily favored to win their group and make a deep run in this tournament. However, Croatia and Ghana should not be taken lightly, as both teams have made fairly impressive runs in recent installments of this tournament.
While Panama certainly appears to be the odd man out, they have become one of the best teams in Central America over the past few years and will be looking to make their mark on the biggest stage on earth.
World Cup Groups Previews
FIFA World Cup Schedule For Group L
Wednesday, June 17th
4:00 EST- England vs Croatia @ AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
7:00 EST- Ghana vs Panama @ BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
Tuesday, June 23rd
4:00 EST- England vs Ghana @ Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
7:00 EST- Panama vs Croatia @ BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
Saturday, June 27th
5:00 EST- Croatia vs Ghana @ Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5:00 EST- Panama vs England @ MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
FIFA Rankings
FIFA World Rankings are from FIFA.com
| Team | Rank | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| England | 4 | 1825.97 |
| Croatia | 11 | 1717.07 |
| Ghana | 74 | 1346.31 |
| Panama | 33 | 1540.64 |
FIFA World Cup Rosters
Prediction
Could this finally be the year England breaks through and wins the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1966? Luckily for England, they should have a fairly straightforward group stage. While Croatia certainly gives them a challenge, this isn’t the Croatia team of 2018 that finished in second. Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic are both losing the race to Father Time, and the rest of the squad is not quite as good as in past tournaments. Panama has been one of the hottest teams in Central America for quite some time, but it’s hard to see them being able to match England’s firepower. After England, this group could shake out in literally any possible combination.
Croatia is the best team on paper, but as previously mentioned, Modric and Perisic are not the players they once were. The same goes for Ghana, who have been slipping down the FIFA Men’s Rankings for well over a decade now but still has some great talent on the team in the form of Antoine Semenyo and Thomas Partey. Panama is the worst team on paper here, but they won’t have to travel far, and they will likely have the most supporters traveling to see them outside of England. Croatia’s age will show up, but I think they’ll have enough to finish in second place.
In a shock bid, I’m taking Panama over Ghana for third place. Panama has nothing to lose, whereas Ghana will be playing hard to try to stay relevant on the international scene. Unfortunately for both teams, it’s hard to see either of them qualifying for the knockout stages if they were to finish in third.
World Cup Best Bets 2026
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England/Croatia to finish 1/2: +115
England to win all group games: +125
Panama to finish in third: +200
Players to Watch
England — Harry Maguire (Defender), Declan Rice (Defender), Jude Bellingham (Midfielder), Cole Palmer (Midfielder), Harry Kane (Forward), Bukayo Saka (Forward)
Croatia — Luka Modric (Midfielder), Ivan Perisic (Forward)
Ghana — Thomas Partey (Midfielder), Antoine Semenyo (Forward)
Panama — Aníbal Godoy (Midfielder)
