World Cup 2026 Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
GROUP L COMPLETE, 1st: England 7 pts (GD +4), qualified; 2nd: Croatia 6 pts (GD 0), qualified; 3rd: Ghana 4 pts (best-thirds assessment); 4th: Panama 0 pts (0 goals scored in entire tournament), eliminated. MD1 (17 Jun): England 4-2 Croatia, Ghana 1-0 Panama. MD2 (23 Jun): England 0-0 Ghana; Croatia 1-0 Panama (Budimir 54'). MD3 (27 Jun): England 2-0 Panama; Croatia 2-1 Ghana (Sucic 31', Vlasic 83'; Luckassen 73'). Panama the only team at the 2026 World Cup not to score a single goal.
The context
Group L was one of the most dynamic at the 2026 World Cup, delivering results that swung between emphatic statement performances and grinding tactical battles across all three matchdays.
Matchday 1 on June 17 set the tone. At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, England answered pre-tournament expectations with a 4-2 win over Croatia: Harry Kane scored a retaken penalty and added a second before half-time, Jude Bellingham struck immediately after the restart to make it 3-2, and Marcus Rashford sealed it late with Bukayo Saka’s assist. Croatia had twice equalised, through Baturina and Musa from an Ivan Perišić lay-off, but England’s quality told in the end. In Toronto, Caleb Yirenkyi’s 90+4’ counterattack finish gave Ghana a 1-0 win over Panama, the latest goal in Ghanaian World Cup history.
Matchday 2 on June 23 brought two contrasting performances. England were held to a goalless draw by Ghana despite 19 shots, stand-in keeper Benjamin Asare was outstanding and Nico O’Reilly struck the bar late, while Croatia ground out a 1-0 win over Panama thanks to substitute Ante Budimir’s 54th-minute strike. Panama were effectively eliminated, having not scored in either of their first two games. After MD2, England and Ghana both had 4 points; Croatia had 3; Panama had 0.
Matchday 3 on June 27 produced the group’s most tense finish. Croatia beat Ghana 2-1 in a hard-fought contest: Sucic opened in the 31st, Luckassen equalised for Ghana in the 73rd, but Nikola Vlasic’s winner from a Luka Modric corner in the 83rd sent Croatia through as runners-up. England beat Panama 2-0 to confirm the group’s top spot. Panama finished the tournament as the only one of the 48 nations not to score a single goal, a melancholy record for Central American football. Final standings: England 7 pts (1st), Croatia 6 pts (2nd), Ghana 4 pts (3rd, best-thirds), Panama 0 pts (eliminated).