England will need to be wary in their pursuit of a first title since 1966 after being handed a potentially tricky pool as we look at our 2026 World Cup Group L predictions .
They face Croatia , Ghana and Panama and this is how we rate the World Cup Group L teams in reverse order, followed by our best bet:
Group L Odds
2026 World Cup Group L Odds
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
England | 2/7 | 77.8% |
Croatia | 7/2 | 22.2% |
Ghana | 10/1 | 9.1% |
Panama | 50/1 | 2% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
England (2/7) are the clear favourites to top the World Cup Group L table but Croatia (7/2) could well put up a decent fight.
Group L Preview
2026 World Cup Group L Preview
Panama
4. Panama @ 50/1
Panama will be hoping to make a bigger impression in their second World Cup finals appearance than they managed on their debut in 2018. Los Canaleros lost all three of their matches in Russia , going down 3-0 to Belgium , 5-1 to England as Harry Kane scored a hat-trick, and then 2-1 to Tunisia .
Panama have continued to flourish during their six years under former Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen , reaching the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup final and 2025 Nations League final while breaking into the top 30 of the FIFA world rankings.
They also booked their return to the big stage after going unbeaten in their 10 qualifiers, but they will do well to get a point in their World Cup Group L table.
Ghana
3. Ghana @ 10/1
Ghana have qualified for their fifth finals in six editions but have struggled to hit the heights they showed in 2010, where they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage in one of the World Cup’s most controversial moments.
Stephen Appiah’s goal-bound effort in the final minute of extra-time looked set to send the Black Stars through to the last four, only for Uruguay striker Luis Suarez to punch the shot clear with his hands standing on the line. Suarez was sent off but Ghana’s star man Asamoah Gyan struck the bar with the resulting spot-kick the last touch of the match and 10-man Uruguay would go on to win the penalty shoot-out.
Carlos Queiroz replaced the sacked Otto Addo as coach of Ghana in April and the 73-year-old brings with him a wealth of international experience, having coached Portugal and Iran at the World Cup , as well as stints in charge of UAE , South Africa, Colombia and Oman among others.
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Croatia
2. Croatia @ 7/2
Croatia have established themselves as perennial World Cup dark horses thanks to the star quality of players such as Luka Modric , Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic . They finished third in their first World Cup in 1998, Davor Suker’s six-goal haul seeing him walk off with the Golden Boot, and were runners-up to France in 2018 before securing another third-placed finish in 2022.
Modric and co are heading back to the finals again this year after cruising through Group L with 22 points from a possible 24, thrashing second-placed Czech Republic 5-1 in the process. Croatia beat England in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals thanks to Mario Mandzukic’s extra-time winner and they will be out to inflict fresh misery on the Three Lions in this summer’s group stage.
It could also be an end of an era for the Croatians , with the likes of Modric , Perisic , Andrej Kramaric , Mateo Kovacic and Mario Pasalic all potentially playing their final World Cups , while coach Zlatko Dalic may be contemplating his future having now been in charge for almost a decade.
England
1. England @ 2/7
Could this be the year England finally fulfil their undoubted potential and get their hands on a first major trophy in over half a century? Gareth Southgate has laid solid foundations, guiding England to back-to-back European Championship finals and a fourth-placed finish at the 2018 World Cup , and now it is down to serial club winner Thomas Tuchel to get them over the line.
Under the German , England won all eight of their World Cup qualifiers without conceding a single goal, although friendly results have been less impressive with home defeats to Senegal and Japan and a 1-1 draw with Uruguay . However, captain and Ballon d’Or favourite Harry Kane was absent for those last two matches and England will hope he can carry his stunning Bayern Munich form on to this summer.
Who plays behind Kane remains to be seen, with Tuchel needing to succeed where predecessor Southgate struggled by finding a formation and line-up that makes the most of the embarrassment of attacking riches in England's World Cup 2026 squad .
Group L Best Bet
2026 World Cup Group L Best Bet
Croatia to qualify @ 1/4
With England overwhelming favourites to advance, the experience of Croatia should see them join Tuchel's troops in the knockout stages.
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*Prices are subject to fluctuation
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