Panama vs. England LIVE: World Cup 2026 score, team news, updates

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live commentary of England's final World Cup 2026 Group L match against Panama at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford!

While the Three Lions have already qualified for the last 32 of the competition, and the Panamanians are guaranteed to be going home, Thomas Tuchel's side are still striving to make it through in first place.

Stay up to date with all the key events with our dedicated matchday blog below!

Panama vs. England: What do Three Lions need to finish first in World Cup group?

Coming into the third and final matchday in the group phase, England occupy first place in Group L with four points, ahead of Ghana on goal difference and one point clear of third-placed Croatia.

Therefore, victory for England on its own is not enough to guarantee first place, as the Three Lions could still slip to second spot even with a triumph if Ghana by a bigger margin.

As England have a +2 goal difference to Ghana's +1, Tuchel's side will drop down the rankings if they win by one goal and Ghana by three, or if they triumph by two goals but the Black Stars beat Croatia by a margin of four or more.

However, an England win will assure them top spot if Croatia beat Ghana, or if the other game in Group L ends in a draw.

Tuchel's side themselves can afford to draw with Panama and still make it through as Group L winners, but that would require Ghana and Croatia also sharing the spoils in Philadelphia.

If England lose, there is no chance of the 1966 World Cup winners progressing in first place, and they could even drop down to third spot with a defeat by three goals or more if Croatia beat Ghana by just one goal.