Staff writer Guy de Basto analyses Group L of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Group L is interesting in that it pairs genuine heavyweights with sides desperate to prove a point. England arrive as one of the tournament favourites, still chasing a second title sixty years on from their only triumph, while Croatia bring the heartbreak of a 2018 final defeat and a golden generation entering its final chapters. Ghana return hoping to finally rediscover the magic of their 2010 quarter-final run, a side that has flattered to deceive at the last two tournaments. Last but certainly not least, Panama, still searching for their first-ever World Cup win, will arrive determined to build on a 2018 debut that ended without a single point to show for their efforts.
It’s a group where reputation and pressure go hand in hand — two sides with genuine pedigree, and two with something to prove against them. On paper, it should be lightwork for the bigger names. Group L, though, has a good chance of reminding everyone why nothing in football is ever quite that simple.
Croatia
Modrić at 40
Gaffer Zlatko Dalić has asked Luka Modrić to captain Croatia at his sixth World Cup, a record that puts the 40-year-old AC Milan midfielder alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Guillermo Ochoa and Lionel Messi as the first male footballers to play in six World Cups. The Vatreni were runners-up in 2018, and took bronze medals last time out, so they undoubtedly have standards to maintain as they face England, Panama and Ghana in Group L.
The Dalić Formula
Hired in 2017, Dalić is leading Croatia at a third successive World Cup finals, having overseen the nation’s greatest success to date when he took them to the 2018 finl and the 2022 Third Place Final. Croatia comfortably cruised to qualification this time round and maintained an unbeaten record for the first time since the 2006 qualifying cycle, though there were hiccups along the way, including going 1-0 down at home to the Faroe Islands before winning 3-1. The one area they could improve on is their lack of a recognised out-and-out striker that may hurt this team, though similar issues didn’t stop them reaching the final four in both 2018 and 2022. Formation wise, they have transitioned more towards a 4-2-3-1 but used to play in a 4-3-3, so don’t be surprised if you see either of those.
The Men to Watch
Modrić recently recovered from surgery for a fractured cheekbone in April and could earn his 200th cap during the tournament. Joško Gvardiol, Croatia’s premier defender at 24, returns after surgery on a fractured right shin suffered in January — a recovery Dalić closely monitored, alongside that of Mateo Kovačić, who missed most of the season with Achilles tendon problems. The squad features four players with more than 100 international caps: Modrić, Ivan Perišić, Kovačić, and Andrej Kramarić. A talented group is breaking through behind them, including Sucic and Vušković — the latter included despite just four senior caps whilst also being one of the youngest players at the entire tournament.
One Generation Hands Over to the Next
Croatia won’t have one of the strongest squads at the tournament on paper and won’t be on the favourites list. That however has never stopped them before — in seven World Cups since 1998, the Vatreni have reached the semi-finals three times. Modrić’s farewell could yet have one more chapter left to write.
Predicted finish: Second Modrić’s farewell tour and a squad that has reached the final four in three of their last seven World Cups give Croatia more than enough pedigree to see off Ghana and Panama, even without a like-for-like striker replacement.
England
Sixty Years of Hurt
Harry Kane captains the Three Lions in their bid to bring 60 years of international trophy heartache to a close, and few England squads have arrived at a World Cup with this much genuine belief behind the boys. A record-breaking qualifying campaign, Thomas Tuchel’s knockout expertise, Kane’s outstanding club form and a squad including the aforemtioned Kane alongside Bellingham, Rice, Saka and Pickford gives this team the best structural case since 1966. The question now is how badly the players want it.
Tuchel Controversy
Despite the pleas from overconfident armchair managers countrywide, England under Tuchel play a 4-3-3 with inverted wingers and overlapping full-backs — Declan Rice sits deepest as the holding midfielder, Elliot Anderson likely provides box-to-box energy, and Jude Bellingham takes the most advanced central role. Tuchel’s selection was ruthless, leaving out big names, with Kaveh Solhekol describing the squad as “probably the most shocking since 1998.” Tellingly, Tuchel has long stated he’s more than willing to leave out any player who threatens collective harmony, insisting England must arrive at the tournament as a team built on cohesion, rather than wholly individual talent.
The Men to Watch
Kane is England’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 114 appearances, and arrives having won his third consecutive Bundesliga Golden Boot with 36 goals, plus 14 in the Champions League as Bayern won the title — his World Cup record already stands at eight goals across two tournaments, more than any other England player in history with the exception of Gary Lineker. Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham appears destined to occupy the Three Lions’ No.10 role, though his exact role remains an unresolved question, contested by Eberechi Eze, fresh from Premier League title glory and Champions League heartbreak with Arsenal and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. Meanwhile, fellow Arsenal boys Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka head into their second World Cup together and will surely be doing all that they can to ensure the trophy is on the plane home.
Football’s Coming Home… It’s Coming?
For England, our most likely route to the final goes through Mexico in the last 16, Brazil in the quarter-final and Argentina in the semi-final, with France or Spain potentially awaiting in the final. It’s undoubtedly a daunting path, but for the first time in decades, the Three Lions look truly built to navigate it.
Predicted finish: First A record-breaking qualifying campaign, Tuchel’s knockout pedigree and the deepest squad England have taken to a World Cup in decades make anything less than topping Group L a genuine surprise. It’s finally coming home.
Ghana
A New Coach, An Old Ceiling to Break
Ghana arrive in North America for their fifth World Cup, having dominated their qualifying group with 25 points from 10 matches. Yet Ghana have never qualified past the quarter-final stage at the World Cup, and were knocked out in the group stage last time out. History suggests the same old ceiling probably awaits.
The Queiroz Blueprint
In a major late shake-up, Otto Addo was sacked after two defeats in friendlies against Germany and Austria, having lost his last four games — replaced by former Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz, who has managed Portugal, South Africa, Iran, Colombia, Egypt and Qatar across an extensive international career, and led Iran at the 2022 World Cup. The 73-year-old will have had very little time to get to know the squad before kickoff, though it will be his tenth job in international management with few coaches arrive better equipped to handle such a late appointment.
The Men to Watch
Injury ridden isn’t the half of it for the Black Stars. Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus was meant to be the big name in midfield, and it was his goal that secured Ghana’s World Cup qualification against Comoros, though he has endured a dismal Premier League campaign with Spurs and has now been ruled out with injury. Ghana’s defence has also taken a massive hit. Mohammed Salisu, whose partnership with Alejandro Djiku at the back had been crucial, will miss the World Cup entirely due to an ACL injury. Elsewhere, Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo is guaranteed a place and expected to star, alongside proven goalscorers Iñaki Williams and Jordan Ayew. As if the injuries weren’t enough, Villarreal’s Thomas Partey created headlines following denial of his visa to gain entry to Canada, which has only consolidated misery around the camp.
A Semi-Kind Squad, An Unkind Draw
The Black Stars arrive full of confidence after a strong qualifying campaign, although the draw was far from kind — Ghana have been placed alongside two elite nations, England and Croatia, with Panama completing the group. A coaching change this late, against opposition this strong, makes progression a genuinely tall order.
Predicted finish: Fourth Unfornately, a strong qualifying campaign counts for little against this draw, and a brand-new manager with almost no time to bed in makes progression against England and Croatia a serious long shot.
Panama
The Red Tide Rises Again
World Cup 2026 is only the second time Panama have qualified, eight years after their maiden tournament, where they lost all three group games to Belgium, England and Tunisia, though they did score their first two World Cup goals in the process. This time, their qualifying campaign was emphatic — four wins from four in the first CONCACAF group stage and an unbeaten second group stage to qualify with room to spare.
The Christiansen Blueprint
Panama have been under the watch of Thomas Christiansen since the summer of 2020, and under him have reached the final of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa América, contested the 2025 Nations League final, and secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup without suffering a single defeat. Tactically, expect a 3-4-2-1 or a flexible 3-4-3, both using wingbacks for width, with a physical midfield press and quick counter-attacks down the flanks. Christiansen has described Group L as “interesting,” adding that Panama will draw confidence from past victories against big-name teams like the USA.
The Men to Watch
Captain Aníbal Godoy, at 36, brings a record 157 international appearances to the tournament — the most of any Panamanian player in history, and the midfield combination of Godoy and Carrasquilla forms the backbone of the team’s identity. The weight of the nation’s hopes will rest on experienced forward José Fajardo and winger José Luis ‘Puma’ Rodríguez, the team’s joint top scorers during qualifying, with striker Cecilio Waterman another key figure in attack. Adalberto Carrasquilla, the straw that stirs the drink in Panama’s midfield, will be appearing in his first World Cup, while Russia 2018 veterans Michael Murillo, Eric Davis, Fidel Escobar and goalkeeper Luis Mejía all return for a second tournament.
Organised, Not Outclassed
Panama enter as the lowest-ranked side in Group L, behind England, Croatia and Ghana, and won’t match England or Croatia for individual quality — but the squad isn’t built to shock anyone, it’s built to be organised and hard to break down. If Fajardo and Waterman fire, and the back three holds its shape as it has throughout qualifying, a place in the Round of 32 is absolutely within reach.
Predicted finish: Third An organised, well-drilled side that won’t match England or Croatia for individual quality, but a settled system and a favourable head-to-head with Ghana give them a genuine shot at a first-ever World Cup point — and perhaps even progression.
Conclusion
Group L pits genuine contenders against sides desperate to make their mark. England arrive with the strongest case for ending 60 years of hurt since 1966, backed by a record-breaking qualifying run and a squad built for knockout football. Croatia, even without Modrić at his absolute peak, have a habit of outperforming expectations — three semi-finals in seven World Cups isn’t a coincidence. Ghana’s qualifying form promised plenty, but a late managerial change against two heavyweight opponents has turned this into damage limitation rather than a genuine push for the last 16. And Panama, organised and unspectacular, look best placed of the underdogs to finally pick up that elusive first World Cup point.
On paper, this looks like a straightforward two-from-four. The real intrigue lies in whether Ghana’s talent or Panama’s discipline ends up mattering more for that third spot — and whether either has enough to actually trouble the favourites.
About the author
