Group L, the last of the 12, is led by England and completed by 2018 finalists Croatia, the Black Stars of Ghana and CONCACAF's Panama. Thomas Tuchel's England, among the tournament favourites, build around captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. Croatia carry Luka Modric into a likely final tournament alongside Josko Gvardiol. Ghana return under Carlos Queiroz with Mohammed Kudus and Inaki Williams, and Panama arrive much improved after their recent CONCACAF finals. This group runs through Dallas, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and the MetLife Stadium near New York. This is the full fixture list with venues and dates, the qualification picture, and a prediction for who reaches the new Round of 32.
England lead a demanding final group: Croatia have gone deep at the last two World Cups, Ghana bring Premier League pace and Panama are far stronger than their ranking suggests. Here is the Group L field.
The seeded side. Thomas Tuchel's England are among the tournament favourites, captained by Harry Kane and featuring Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Declan Rice. Beaten finalists at the last two Euros, chasing a first World Cup since 1966. Read our full England squad guide.
The serial overachievers. Zlatko Dalic's side reached the 2018 final and the 2022 semi-finals, with Luka Modric in a likely farewell tournament alongside Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic. Favourites for second. Read our Croatia guide.
The Black Stars. Back under Carlos Queiroz with captain Jordan Ayew, Mohammed Kudus, Antoine Semenyo and Inaki Williams. Pace and Premier League experience to push for second and a best-third place. Read our Ghana guide.
The improvers. Thomas Christiansen's Panama, at their second World Cup, reached the 2023 Gold Cup final and 2024 Nations League final, with Adalberto Carrasquilla, Ismael Diaz and Michael Murillo. Organised and on the rise. Read our Panama guide.
Six Group L matches across three matchdays in the United States and Canada. England open against Croatia at AT&T Stadium near Dallas, play their second game near Boston, and finish at MetLife Stadium, the venue of the Final. The final round on 27 June kicks off simultaneously. Times below are US Eastern.
For the full picture of all 104 games and kickoff times in your own time zone, use the WorldCuply.com match schedule. England's path is covered in detail in our England squad guide.
The 2026 World Cup is the first with 48 teams in 12 groups of four. That changes how a group plays out:
For a full breakdown of the new structure, read our World Cup 2026 format explainer.
A strong final group with a clear favourite and a real fight for the places behind. Here is how we see it:
England are the standout, but the race for second between Croatia and Ghana could run to the final matchday. Follow it live with the schedule and the Match-Day Notifier.
Group L is the final group of 12 at the 2026 World Cup. Explore the rest of the WorldCuply.com guide:
Thomas Tuchel's side, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and the chase for a first World Cup since 1966.
Read the England guide ›Luka Modric's farewell, Josko Gvardiol and the serial overachievers who keep going deep.
Read the Croatia guide ›Portugal with DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia, with full fixtures, venues and a prediction.
Read the Group K guide ›All 104 fixtures across 16 host cities, with kickoff times you can filter to your team and time zone.
Open the schedule ›This guide was hand-written from the following reporting and reference pages, used to confirm the Group L teams, fixtures, venues and dates:
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