England and Croatia start as favorites to lead Group L of the 2026 World Cup, although they will have to watch out for the danger of Ghana, led by Antoine Semenyo and Iñaki Williams, and the hopes of Panama, who will be playing in the second World Cup in their history, under the leadership of Spanish-Danish coach Thomas Christiansen.
The Three Lions, who completed an impeccable qualifying campaign with a clean sweep of wins and without conceding a single goal, are among the leading contenders for the title and will be looking for their second World Cup crown, 60 years after lifting the trophy in 1966 as hosts.
England seeks revenge against renewed Croatia
The team led by Thomas Tuchel, whose call-up was surprising due to the absence of players such as Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire, will meet an old acquaintance, Croatia.
On paper, it will be their main rival for first place in the group.
Clashes against the Balkans do not evoke fond memories for England, who are still reminiscing about the defeat suffered in the semifinals of the Russia 2018 World Cup.
When a Mario Mandzukic goal in extra time ended England’s dream of reaching the final.
However, both teams have changed significantly since then.
England comes in on the back of two consecutive runner-up finishes at the European Championship.
While Croatia, despite continuing to be led by Luka Modric, has undergone a profound generational renewal after the retirements or departures of figures such as:
Ivan Rakitic, Marcelo Brozovic, Domagoj Vida and Mandzukic himself (Filed under: Group L World Cup 2026).
Croatia seeks to return to the elite
After being eliminated in the group stage of the last European Championship, the Croatian national team will try to recover its level.
That level that allowed them to play in the final of the 2018 World Cup, where they were defeated by France (Filed as: Group L World Cup 2026).
Ghana dreams of a surprise
However, Ghana threatens to upset the odds and put the two European teams in trouble.
The Africans have Antoine Semenyo, a Manchester City player and one of the great revelations of last season in the Premier League.
In addition to the experience of Thomas Partey and the goal of Iñaki Williams.
The Ghanaian national team, however, is not at its best.
The African team failed to qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations and has now gone six consecutive friendlies without a win.
With a balance of five defeats and one tie.
The most recent was against Wales, a team that failed to qualify for the World Cup.
In a match that ended in a draw after the Welsh equalized in stoppage time after dominating much of the game (Filed as: Group L World Cup 2026).
England and Croatia are the favorites
QuéOnnda.com
Panama dreams of making history
In addition to the threat of Ghana, Panama will be competing in the second World Cup in its history after its debut at Russia 2018.
When they were eliminated in the group stage, precisely in a group shared with England, Belgium and Tunisia.
Curiously, the team coached by the former Barcelona, Villarreal and Oviedo player, among others, will make their debut in this edition against Ghana.
In a duel that could prove decisive for the aspirations of both teams.
They want to take advantage of the new tournament format that allows eight of the twelve third-placed teams to advance to the knockout stage (Filed as: Group L World Cup 2026).
With information from EFE
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