England have won Group L at the 2026 World Cup, beating out Croatia, Ghana and Panama to reach the summit.
England were able to take seven point from a possible nine and secure their place in the Round of 32.
Croatia finished second following their win over Ghana but both nations had done enough to reach the next round. Panama were the only side in the World Cup to fail to score and they finished bottom of Group L without a point.
England Group L Odds
The Three Lions are one of the outright favourites to win the World Cup and have been priced as short as 2/7 to top Group L.
This will be England’s first World Cup without Sir Gareth Southgate at the helm since 2014. Southgate led his country to the 2018 semi-finals and then the quarter-finals in 2022, plus runners-up finishes in the last two European Championships, before making way for German tactician Thomas Tuchel.
After a slow start, the former Chelsea boss has got his troops playing with confidence, authority, and a sprinkling of swagger. The Three Lions breezed through qualifying with a dominant eight wins from eight matches, complete with 22 goals scored and zero conceded. However, tougher tests await.
Tuchel’s squad is brimming with world-class talent, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Declan Rice. Elliot Anderson may well have solved England’s long-standing issue at No.6, but there’s an intriguing battle on the left-flank between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon, while Bellingham faces competition from Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze.
Jordan Pickford remains a reliable presence between the sticks and there’s a three-way fight for the two centre-back spots between Marc Guehi, John Stones, and Ezri Konsa.
There are question marks over both full-back positions. Right-back has gone to Reece James so far, but Djed Spence provides an option on both flanks — starting over Nico O’Reilly at left-back last time out.
Croatia Group L Odds
Never count Croatia out. A surprise third-placed finish in their World Cup debut in 1998 was just the beginning. In 2018, they reached the final – knocking out England along the way – before falling to France. Four years later, they delivered another memorable journey en-route to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by eventual champions Argentina, but they did bounce back to clinch third spot.
The country’s now legendary long-serving manager, Zlatko Dalic, remains in charge and will rely on his squad’s experience, unity, and tactical intelligence to swat away the doubters and go deep into the tournament once again.
2018 Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric is now 40, but will be hoping to sparkle in what will surely be his final World Cup. Other key players include Man City defender Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic of PSV, and Mateo Kovacic, if fit.
Like England, Croatia dominated their qualifying campaign, amassing 22 points from 24. The Checkered Ones have seen their odds of winning the group lengthen after an opening defeat, but they are still second-favourites.
Ghana Group L Odds
England and Croatia were expected to tussle it out for top spot, but Ghana have given themselves a big chance. Although, they are still 14/1 after two games.
The four-time Afcon champions are making their fourth World Cup appearance in the last five editions, with their most memorable showing coming in 2010 when they were agonisingly denied a semi-final spot by Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, who infamously handled the ball on the line. Ghana missed the resulting penalty and then lost in a shoot-out.
Since then, the Black Stars have struggled, failing to reach the knockout stages in 2014 and 2022. However, they bounced back in qualifying for 2026, winning eight of their 10 matches and will be fired up after missing out on Afcon.
Panama Group L Odds
Panama have been elimated from the World Cup, and will play their final game against England.
The Canal Men needed a final-game win over El Salvador to secure their place at the 2026 World Cup, which will be only their second ever appearance following their debut in 2018 when they lost all three group games, including a 6-1 loss to England.
Former Leeds boss Thomas Christiansen is the manager tasked with leading the country to their first-ever World Cup points, but they’re running out of time. Panama have lost their first two games, with only a match against England to come.
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World Cup 2026 Group L fixtures and results
Here are the fixtures for Group L at the 2026 World Cup.
World Cup 2026 Group L table
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