We are just days away from the biggest sporting extravaganza in the world, as the FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off on Thursday, June 11 (June 12 IST). The competition will be hosted by the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico and will be the biggest edition of the tournament yet, with 48 teams participating.
These 48 teams, several of them having qualified for the World Cup for the first time, have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each.
Each side will go up against the other in a group once. After each team has played their three games, the nations that finish in the top two in their group will qualify for the Round of 32. But that just gives us 24 teams, leaving eight more qualification spots. And so, the eight best-performing third-placed sides will also make it to the knockout rounds.
World Cup Group L Predictions
Today, we will predict how Group L of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will shape up at the end of the group stage. This might be one of the most balanced groups in this competition, with England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama being in it.
England made their World Cup qualification look easy. In the first round of the UEFA qualifiers, they topped their group over Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra, winning all eight of their qualification games to confirm their place in the World Cup.
Croatia is on the wrong end of a golden generation. This was considered an old squad four years ago. And now, many of their best players are in the twilight of their careers. Despite that, they were excellent in the UEFA qualifiers, finishing on top of their group in the first round over a strong side like the Czech Republic to qualify for the World Cup
Ghana has qualified for the World Cup on five occasions, all of which have come in this century. Despite failing to qualify for AFCON last year due to poor form, that did not affect their World Cup qualification campaign. They topped their group in the first round of qualifying to book their tickets to North America.
Lastly, Panama was in the challenging CONCACAF qualifiers, where only three teams out of 32 qualified for the World Cup. In the second round of qualifiers, they finished on top of their group with four wins in as many games. Then, in the third round, Panama topped their group once again to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in their history
Now, let’s see who will make it to the Round of 32 from Group L –
Group L is one of the more balanced groups in this World Cup. While one team looks stronger than the rest, there will be a scuffle for the remaining qualifying spots.
Once again, the England team will look to bring the World Cup home. Well, they are one of the favourites to win it all, something they have been in all international competitions for the past five years or so. And while they did lose a friendly to Japan earlier this year, they have been in fine form, beating Costa Rica and drawing against Uruguay in recent games.
The Three Lions will be captained by their talisman attacker, Harry Kane, in the FIFA World Cup 2026, and managed by German maestro Thomas Tuchel. Several big names were omitted from this squad, but players who are expected to shine in this World Cup include goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, the Premier League young player of the year, Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City, Arsenal midfield rock Declan Rice, young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United, and Arsenal’s star-winger Bukayo Saka.
Croatia has been one of the most consistent international teams over the past decade. In the last two World Cups, they made it to the semi-finals once and the final the other time. Despite an older squad, they will look to make a statement once more with their golden generation of players. In friendly games this year, they have not had the best run. They lost to Belgium and just days before the World Cup, and to Brazil earlier this year. But they also defeated Colombia and Slovenia.
Croatia will be captained in the FIFA World Cup 2026 by probably the greatest sportsman this country has ever produced, Luka Modrić, and managed by long-time team manager Zlatko Dalić. Some players to watch out for, apart from the 40-year-old captain from this squad, are veteran winger Ivan Perišić, Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovačić, and forward Andrej Kramarić.
Ghana, shockingly, failed to qualify for the 2025/26 African Cup of Nations. After their World Cup qualification campaign, they have taken on some of the toughest competition in world football in friendly games, only to come up short. In 2026, they lost to Austria 5-1, to Germany 2-1, and to Mexico 2-0 in friendly games. Late last year, they were also beaten by Japan and South Korea. Suffice it to say, they bring poor form into this competition.
Ghana will be captained in the FIFA World Cup 2025 by Leicester City winger Jordan Ayew and managed by experienced international coach and former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz. Apart from the skipper, some of the players looking to make a mark on this World Cup include Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, Athletic Club striker Iñaki Williams, and defender Jerome Opoku of Istanbul Basaksehir.
Finally, Panama. Over the past couple of years, this team has done quite well in international competitions. First, a trip to the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America, then reaching the final of the CONCACAF Nations League final, where they lost to Mexico, before reaching the quarters of the Gold Cup. More recently, they have had positive results in friendlies, defeating South Africa and thrashing El Salvador. However, in a game against Brazil earlier this month, Panama were beaten 6-2.
Panama will be captained in the FIFA World Cup 2026 by veteran defensive midfielder Aníbal Godoy and managed by former Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen. Some of the players to watch out for from this squad include defender José Córdoba of Norwich City and midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla.
World Cup Group L Predictions –
- England vs Croatia: England wins
- Ghana vs Panama: Panama wins
- England vs Ghana: England wins
- Panama vs Croatia: Croatia wins
- Panama vs England: England wins
- Croatia vs Ghana: draw
Group ranking –
| Rank | Nation | Points |
| 1 | England | 9 |
| 2 | Ghana | 4 |
| 3 | Croatia | 4 |
| 4 | Panama | 0 |
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