World Cup 2026 — Group L

World Cup 2026 Group L carries the weight of football's most agonizing wait. England arrive with Jude Bellingham leading a golden generation — a squad loaded with Champions League-level talent and the genuine belief that this is their year. Croatia, with their tournament experience and technical midfield quality, are the most dangerous opponent in the group and will push England hard. Ghana have Alexander Djiku leading a defense that is more organized than their ranking suggests. Panama, CONCACAF representatives with tournament experience, will make this as physical as possible. England are heavy favorites. The England vs Croatia fixture — a repeat of major tournament battles — will set the tone for the whole group. If England can top this group, their projected knockout path could be favorable all the way to the final.

Standings

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	England	3	2	1	0	6	2	+4	7
2	Croatia	3	2	0	1	5	5	0	6
3	Ghana	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Panama	3	0	0	3	0	4	-4	0

Advances to Round of 32

Possible advancement (best 3rd place teams)

* Standings update from completed matches

Group L Fixtures

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Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-17

Ghana

1 - 0

Panama

BMO Field, Toronto

Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-17

England

4 - 2

Croatia

AT&T Stadium, Arlington

Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-23

England

0 - 0

Ghana

Gillette Stadium, Boston

Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-23

Panama

0 - 1

Croatia

BMO Field, Toronto

Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-27

Panama

0 - 2

England

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Group Stage - Group L

2026-06-27

Croatia

2 - 1

Ghana

Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Qualification Rules

Top Two Teams: The top two teams from each group automatically advance to the Round of 32.

Best Third-Place Teams: The eight best third-place teams across all 12 groups will also advance to the Round of 32, making a total of 32 teams in the knockout stage.

Tiebreakers: If teams are level on points, the following criteria are applied:

Points obtained in matches between tied teams
Goal difference in those matches
Goals scored in those matches
If the tie is partially resolved, the first three criteria are reapplied to the remaining teams
Goal difference in all group matches
Goals scored in all group matches
Team conduct (fair play) score
Most recent FIFA ranking and, if needed, earlier ranking editions