World Cup Group L Predictions & Betting Tips
Will Jackson 
Scott McGlynn
Group L is England's home for the 2026 World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel's side drawn alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama. England open the tournament against Croatia in Dallas on 17 June in what will be a rematch of the 2018 semi-final, before facing Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey.
This was widely viewed as the toughest of the eight first-pot draws, with Croatia the highest-ranked Pot 2 side and a Ghana team featuring Antoine Semenyo, Inaki Williams and Thomas Partey. Panama are no longer the makeweight third pot pick they once were, having reached the 2023 Gold Cup final and the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League final.
Despite the headline names, England remain the heavy favourites to top the group. Tuchel has steered them to qualification with a perfect record and without conceding a single goal in qualifying. We have laid out our group winner pick, our Croatia angle, and a bet builder for England's tournament opener below.
Browse our World Cup 2026 betting offers before placing your bets on Group L.
Group L Teams & Form
England
England arrive at the World Cup as one of the four top-seeded sides under Thomas Tuchel, who replaced Gareth Southgate after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Tuchel's qualifying record is the standout statistic of the campaign: a perfect winning run with no goals conceded. That is a defensive platform no other top seed can match.
Concerns linger around squad balance and recent friendly form. Tuchel named an unprecedented 35-man split squad for the March friendlies, which has fuelled debate about who his strongest XI actually is.
Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka give England as deep an attacking pool as anyone, but the system has not always clicked.
Compare the latest England to win World Cup odds for the most up-to-date prices on the Three Lions.
Croatia
Croatia are at the end of their golden generation, with Luka Modric still pulling the strings at the age of 40.
Reaching the final in 2018 and the semi-finals in 2022 sets a high bar, and this tournament could be the handover point as Josip Stanisic, Duje Caleta-Car and the highly-rated Luka Vuskovic step into senior roles.
Recent form has been mixed. Croatia beat Colombia 2-1 in their March friendly, with Vuskovic on the scoresheet, but were beaten 3-1 by Brazil days later.
Andrej Kramaric and Ivan Perisic were their joint-top scorers in qualifying. They breezed through their qualifying group unbeaten with the only blemish a goalless draw away to Czechia.
Ghana
Ghana's preparations have been disrupted. Otto Addo was sacked in March 2026 after four straight defeats, and former Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz has been brought in to steady the ship 72 days before the tournament.
Ghana failed to qualify for the most recent AFCON, the first time they have missed it in 21 years.
The squad is stronger than the recent form suggests. Antoine Semenyo has had a standout season at Manchester City, Inaki Williams provides leadership in attack, and Thomas Partey remains a serious presence in midfield.
With four AFCON titles in their history, Ghana have pedigree, but coherence under a new manager is the question.
Panama
Panama are at their second ever World Cup after finishing top of their CONCACAF qualifying group. They reached the final of the 2023 Gold Cup and the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League final, so this is a side with genuine recent tournament experience under Spanish coach Thomas Christiansen.
England fans will remember Panama from the 2018 group stage, when Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win that remains England's biggest ever World Cup victory.
This is a different Panama side, but they will still be the third or fourth pick to top the group in most predictions.
Group L Predictions
England and Croatia are the two clear favourites to qualify, with Ghana and Panama expected to scrap for third place and the third-placed qualification spot.
England's defensive solidity in qualifying suggests they have the best route to topping the group, particularly with Croatia's golden generation showing signs of decline.
Our take: England to win the group, Croatia second, Ghana to claim third on the back of Queiroz's tournament experience, and Panama fourth.
Croatia have an aging spine that could be exposed over three group games, and the absence of major tournament minutes for some of their younger players is a concern.
Group L Betting Tips
Find more analysis on every fixture in our World Cup 2026 tips hub as the tournament approaches, but here are three top prices and pre-tournament tips to use with our free bet offers.
Tip 1: England to Win Group L
England's qualifying record is hard to argue with. Eight wins from eight, no goals conceded, and a defensive structure that Tuchel has clearly drilled into the squad. Backing them to top the group is a confident pick at the price.
The opening Croatia game is the only fixture where England are not heavy favourites, but Croatia's defensive frailty in their recent friendly against Brazil suggests England's attacking depth should be enough. Wins over Ghana and Panama should be routine if the squad is fit.
Tip 2: Croatia to Qualify From Group L
Croatia are second favourites in the group winner market for a reason. They were the highest-ranked Pot 2 side, they have tournament pedigree at the highest level, and they have one of the best midfielders of the modern era still operating. Backing them to qualify alongside England is a higher-confidence pick than the group winner price suggests.
Even if England top the group as expected, Croatia have the squad quality to handle Ghana and Panama. They scored consistently throughout qualifying with Kramaric and Perisic leading the line and Modric still creating chances. Second place looks the most likely outcome.
Tip 3: Bet Builder - England to Win the Group, Croatia + Ghana to Qualify
I don't think anyone expects England not to top this group, even if it is a little trickier than some of the others.
They simply have too much firepower not to get past their three opponents, even if the margin of victory might not be particularly big in one or two of the games.
Croatia aren't quite the side they used to be, but should still have enough to get into the knockout rounds and they'll always be difficult to beat, which makes them a shoe-in to qualify, leaving Ghana and Panama to battle it out.
Ghana might not have the best recent record, but they will fancy their chances of taking points off one or two of their opponents, which should give them a really good chance of progressing.
Market Outlook
England are short-priced favourites to top Group L, with Croatia a clear second in the betting. Ghana and Panama are both priced as significant outsiders to win the group, with Ghana the marginally shorter pick of the two given their squad quality.
England are also among the top four favourites to win the tournament outright, sitting in the same tier as Spain, France, Brazil and Argentina at the top of the market.
You can compare prices for this group across all major betting sites on our World Cup 2026 odds page.
Odds are subject to change. 18+ only. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org.
Group L fixtures
- England vs Croatia - 17 June, 21:00 BST
- Ghana vs Panama - 18 June, 00:00 BST
- England vs Ghana - 23 June, 21:00 BST
- Panama vs Croatia - 24 June, 00:00 BST
- Panama vs England - 28 June, 00:30 BST
- Croatia vs Ghana - 28 June, 00:30 BST
