World Cup 2026 Group L preview: Prediction, teams, rankings, key fixture, star players

Last in the World Cup 2026 group alphabet, but by no means the least, Group L of the 48-team competition features two former finalists, one African hopeful and one CONCACAF competitor intent on not just making up the numbers.

England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama will scrap it out across the United States and Canada for the right to advance to the knockout stages, but who will flourish and who will falter?

Here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth preview for Group L of the 2026 World Cup, including predicted standings and every nation's key player.

World Cup 2026 Group L: England

World ranking: 4

Will the quintessential major competition cycle repeat itself once again for England supporters? Pre-tournament promise, repetitive renditions of Three Lions, and heartbreak when all is said and done?

That was the status quo under Gareth Southgate - despite the Knight of the Realm's otherwise exceptional national-team feats - but with esteemed trophy winner Thomas Tuchel at the helm, the FA harbour realistic hopes of finally ending 60 years of torture.

The ex-Chelsea head coach oversaw a impeccable qualification period; eight games, eight wins and zero goals conceded, as England became the first UEFA nation to book their tickets to the 2026 World Cup.

However, a forgettable batch of friendly results - a 1-1 draw with Uruguay, 1-0 defeat to Japan and unconvincing 1-0 win New Zealand - has led to a familiar sense of pessimism creeping in once more.

England star player: Harry Kane

Where would his country be without him?

The greatest striker England has ever produced in terms of pure goals, Bayern Munich sensation Harry Kane scored a record-extending 79th for his nation with his flicked header to win the game against New Zealand on June 6.

Also coming off the back of an outrageous individual season with Bayern, netting 61 goals in 51 matches, the skipper has the Ballon d'Or firmly in his sights.

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World Cup 2026 Group L: Croatia

World ranking: 11

Frequent podium finishers in major tournaments over the past decade, Croatia have taken silver and bronze medals home from the last two World Cups, but the glittering gold remains elusive.

Also finishing as runners-up in the 2022-23 Nations League, Zlatko Dalic's side have mistakes to rectify after a dismal Euro 2024 campaign, in which they crashed out in the group stage without a single win to their name.

However, Croatia blew the competition out of the water in World Cup qualifying, taking 22 points from 24 on offer to finish top of Group L above the Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Montenegro and Gibraltar.

Croatia star player: Luka Modric

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have unsurprisingly dominated the last World Cup talk, but the 2026 edition should also be the final time we see Croatian colossus Luka Modric grace a major international tournament.

Winner of the 2018 World Cup Golden Ball, soon to be followed by the Ballon d'Or, the 40-year-old's age is yet to catch up to him; he started 32 Serie A games for AC Milan last season and recorded a respectable five goal involvements.

World Cup 2026 Group L: Ghana

World ranking: 73

Not until 2006 did Ghana earn a ticket to the World Cup Finals, but the Black Stars have since become a regular fixture of the globe's most prestigious sporting event, only missing the 2018 edition over the past two decades.

Some may still be seething at the 2010 Luis Suarez incident, when Ghana were cruelly denied the honour of being the first African team to reach the semi-finals, a feat eventually achieved by Morocco in Qatar.

The world's 73rd-ranked nation have suffered group-stage eliminations during their last two appearances, though, not to mention failing to even qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations.

Following Otto Addo's departure in April, 73-year-old Carlos Queiroz is the man tasked with leading Ghana into the 2026 World Cup, which they qualified for by virtue of winning eight of their 10 preliminary games.

Ghana star player: Antoine Semenyo

Ghana will be missing one of their electrifying attackers - Tottenham Hotspur's Mohammed Kudus - through injury, but fellow wing wizard Antoine Semenyo is raring to go after a standout domestic season with both Bournemouth and Manchester City.

The London-born attacker amassed 27 goal involvements across 48 fixtures last term, numbers that earned him the Premier League Signing of the Season award.

World Cup 2026 Group L: Panama

World ranking: 34

The oldest team at the 2026 World Cup, Panama are making just their second sojourn to the Mundial after a humbling 2018 experience, which ended with the Canal Men losing all three group-stage games and conceding 11 goals in the process.

Panama have since made waves on the continent, however, finishing as runners-up in the 2023 Gold Cup and 2024-25 CONCACAF Nations League, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the 2024 Copa America.

Furthermore, Thomas Christiansen's men went unbeaten throughout their World Cup qualifying campaign, claiming seven wins and three draws from 10 matches while shipping just five goals all told.

Panama star player: Amir Murillo

One of a handful of Panamanian players plying his trade in Europe, versatile right-back Amir Murillo has consistently posted pleasing attacking numbers at both domestic and international level.

The 94-cap international boasts 22 combined goals and assists for his nation, as well as four strikes and five helpers across 40 matches for Marseille and Besiktas in the 2025-26 season.

World Cup 2026 Group L key fixture: England vs. Croatia

First is not the worst in World Cup 2026 Group L, as the opening battle between England and Croatia is significant from both a historical and future standpoint.

The Three Lions and the Chequered Ones have already clashed 11 times before, most notably in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, where Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic broke England hearts.

The 1966 champions have since gleaned revenge in the Nations League and Euro 2020, and it is not outlandish to suggest that first place could effectively be decided in round one.

World Cup 2026 Group L prediction

England's recent friendly performances must be taken with a pinch of salt owing to Thomas Tuchel's tactical tinkering, but it is hard to back the Three Lions to overcome Croatia with any real conviction.

An opening-day draw between the pair should precede victories for both over Ghana and Panama, and if the goal-difference tie-breaker is needed, the Kane factor could come up trumps for England.

Ghana and Panama would therefore find themselves in a straight shootout for third place, and as the former's squad boasts more big-game European experience, the Black Stars are backed to take the bronze medal and a possible spot in the knockout rounds.