World Cup 2026: England face tough test in Group L

World Cup 2026: England face tough test in Group L England head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the third favourites with the bookmakers to win the tournament. While odds of 13/2 for the Three Lions to lift the trophy may be tempting for sports bettors, their previous record in major tournaments is concerning. The Three Lions’ only previous success in the World Cup was on home soil in 1966. They have never won the European Championship and generally come up short when the heat is on. Thomas Tuchel’s side will fancy their chances of progressing to the knockout stage having been drawn alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama. However, anyone who thinks that winning Group L is a foregone conclusion would be wise to keep a lid in on their expectations. Read on as we preview England’s group. World Cup Group L schedule June 17 England vs Croatia – Dallas (9.00 pm) June 18 Ghana vs Panama – Toronto (12.00 am) June 23 England vs Ghana – Boston (9.00 pm) June 24 Panama vs Croatia – Toronto (12.00 am) June 27 Panama vs England – New York/New Jersey (10.00 pm) Croatia vs Ghana – Philadelphia (10.00 pm) World Cup Group L teams England The Three Lions have plenty of talented players in their squad and will be backed by a sizeable army of fans in North America this summer. They have never progressed beyond the quarter-finals when the tournament has been staged in the Americas, but are still one of the top teams in the outright betting market. Their opening group stage game against Croatia is a potential banana skin, and it would be foolish to think that Ghana and Panama will roll over in their other fixtures. Although England fans will hope that Tuchel’s pragmatic approach pays dividends, they could be set for more heartache over the next few weeks. Croatia Croatia have been overlooked as potential World Cup winners , despite finishing second and third in the last two editions of the tournament. They defeated England in the semi-finals at Russia 2018 and have pushed them extremely hard in three subsequent meetings since then. Veteran playmaker Luka Modric still has the ability to control proceedings in the middle of the park and could leave England chasing shadows. Croatia are perfectly capable of finishing ahead of England in the group, which would make their potential route to the final even tougher. Ghana Ghana have been a regular fixture at the World Cup in recent times, having qualified for five of the last six tournaments after first featuring in 2006. They sacked manager Otto Addo just 78 days before the start of the latest edition, replacing him with Carlos Queiroz on April 13. Queiroz is familiar with English football from his time at Manchester United and is adept at building teams who are difficult to break down. With players such as Thomas Partey, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams in their squad, Ghana have the ability to make life difficult for England. Panama It would be fair to say that Panama are approaching their second World Cup with far greater ambitions than their first outing in 2018. Manager Thomas Christiansen has set his sights on beating Ghana in their first game, which would boost their chances of progressing to the round of 32. Panama’s compact defensive structure and work ethic can make them tough to beat, particularly in climate conditions which will favour them. They possess a genuine threat from set-pieces , which is a factor that the rest of the teams in the group would be well-advised not to underestimate.